A not so healthy relationship
by iKuro
Summary: KuroFai! Angst, Humor, Shounen-Ai, Romance, etc. REVIEWS ARE LOVE! OBVIOUSLY i don't own the characters. possible citrusey goodness if I feel like writing some which I probably will . Ps yes there are a lot of chapters but they're all pretty short.
1. Intro

"Mokona doesn't sense any feathers in this world."

Kurogane looked pissed. Really pissed. "This is the third world in a row! Why the hell can't you just land us in the right one?!"

"Now now Kuro-rin, you're going to upset him," Fai was smiling that smile again, which meant trouble. "He's doing the best he can, you know." Fai grabbed Kurogane's shoulder and hung on it, then turned his head a bit to the side and stared back into Kurogane's threataning glare. That was just enough to turn his face red, too. Wait, why the hell was his face red?! Ugh, that mage was gonna drive him insane one of these days.

"Mokona knows what Kuro feels! He's thinking that Fai is mmhmf hfmf hfmfmfh! Heeeeeey Kuro-pii! Why'd you cover my mouth!? Maybe it's because you're afraid that mrrhf mfrhf!"

"I think YOU should be the one who's afraid, whitey. I'll put you on a spit and roast you for dinner if you don't keep your mouth shut! Just get us outta here."

Sayoran and Sakura were standing a safe distance away, not wanting to get involved in the fight, but Sakura still couldn't help herself, and began giggling uncontrollably.

"Sakura-Hime! Please, don't let Kurogane hear you giggling, he won't be happy..."

"Tee hee! I can't help it, Sayoran! Mokona finally told me why they fight so much. It's because-"

"Mokona Modoki is ready to go! Waaahoooo!"

Okay just a little intro the rest is coming :)


	2. Chapter 1

Kurogane was drunk. No, not drunk. He was shit-faced. Fai had seen him drunk before, but never THIS drunk. Sayoran was passed out on the couch, and Sakura was lying not far away. Even Mokona had a few drinks. The only completely sober one was the crazy mage.

"Hey, Fai, you look REALLY pale. You need a snack, don't you. It's aright just go on ahead!"

Fai raised an eyebrow, but proceeded anyway, and he started giggling like a schoolgirl as Fai bit down on his wrist.

"Hey, do you think you'll get drunk too? That would be COOL! I know how much you LOVED to drink! Woah! Okay, maybe you should stop now I feel kinda funny… No, really, I feel funny… WOULD YOU STOP!?"

Fai stood back up and shook his head in mock disappointment.

"Oh, Kurorin, you silly boy, of course you feel funny you've had enough to drink that I can TASTE the alcohol in your blood!"

That's when he started feeling funny too. That all-too-familiar buzzed feeling. And it got worse fast. Next thing he knew, he was leaning in towards Kurogane. And then they kissed. It may just have been from the alcohol, but Kurosama didn't even seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to kiss back. A lot. A little while later, everything went blurry. Fai could remember arms, and kisses, and not much else. Soon they both passed out.

Fai woke up to a pounding headache, and his very fuzzy memories of the night before. Apparently having alcohol in the blood he drank was just like drinking before. He looked around him and wondered where he was. It wasn't his room, that was for certain. Then he noticed something moving under the hand he was propped up on. Something big. And manly. Something like... KUROCHAN!?!

"OH MY GOD! How much did I- no wait, he- drink?! Ah... I've got to get out of here before-"

There was a knock on the door. Uh-oh he thought... too late.

"Kuro-Chan? I can't find Fai anywhere have you seen hi-" Sakura walked in the door and froze in embarrassment and shock. "Oh. Well. Sorry about that... Um Fai? Why are you in Kuro-chan's room?"

"Well, Sakura, I don't really know. Mommy and Daddy were still drinking after you passed out, and I really don't remember."

When Sakura got that worried look on her face, Fai smiled the ever-famous 'it's all right' smile, and Sakura was reassured. But her face was still beet red. Just then Sayoran came to see if She'd found Fai yet, and his reaction was just as bad as hers.

"Err... I see... Um, Sakura? Could you go start breakfast? I'll be there in a few minutes." Sakura happily left and then Sayoran turned an even deeper shade of red than her. "Um, Fai? Why are you um.. in here?"

"Well, Sayoran, I don't really remember. It seems that when your food has been drinking, it affects you as well. But enough questions, I should help Sakura with breakfast!" and Fai leaped up and sprung out the door.

And then Kurogane woke up. Sayoran, being the clever little boy that he was, decided it was time to go too.

Kurogane came shuffling out to the kitchen, head in hand, and plopped down at the table.

"Hey, mage! What the hell happened? All I remember is drinking and drinking and then teeth stabbing my arm open. How'd I get back there?"

Awkward silence followed.

"Umm, Kurorin, you don't remember anything either?"

"No. Wait what do you mean by 'either'? You weren't drinking at all, you can't."

"But you were," pointed out Sayoran.

"Well of course I was.... oooooh."

"Tee Hee Mokona knows what happened. Fai and Kuro-pii were talking and then mmhfmrf fmrmhhf rhfmrfhrmfh! Heeey Kuro-pii! Don't do that Mokona can't breathe!

"Good. Maybe if you can't breathe you'll shut your mouth." Kurogane gave Mokona THE Super Evil Ninja Glare of Doom, and Mokona went to hide behind Fai.

"Okay, the food's done! Here you go everyone!" Fai took his usual seat at the table and watched the others eat. Then his stomach grumbled a little.

"OH KURORIN!"

"No no no no no no no! You just ate yesterday!"

"Well so did you, and you're eating again."

"Well that's because... You see I.... hnnngh FINE but you quit when I say so." And Kurogane handed over his arm. Sayoran averted his gaze and Sakura nearly fainted when they saw the blood seeping out of Kuro's arm.

"Okay mage that's enough." He was starting to feel light headed. "I said that's enough!" Still no response. "Do you know what I'm gonna do to you when I get my hands on you!?"

"Oh Kuro-tan! Not in front of the kids!" That set him off. Kurogane grabbed his katana and chased Fai through the house, outside, around the block, and eventually halfway through the town before Fai gave up into a fit of giggles.

When they finally stopped, they were in front of a large gallows, surrounded by people, and the victim all tied up and ready to be dropped. Fai then noticed that the "criminal" being hung was a small boy, and he bared a striking resemblance to- himself? He froze in terror for a moment before looking around for the other. When Kurogane saw the panicked look on Fai's face, he began to worry. Fai never panicked. About anything. Ever.

"There!" and Fai ran to the other little boy, covering his eyes just as the trap door was released. There was a long silence that followed.

"Hey, mage, was that... was that YOU? I mean the you from this world, anyway?"

"No," he replied, "this little boy here is the me from this world." Just then it started to rain, and Fai took advantage of the fact that nobody could see his tears, although it didn't make much of a difference. He broke down and cried in the middle of the street, holding the also sobbing younger him in his arms. They later found out that the boy was supposed to die instead, but his brother had taken his place. The crime? Being the younger twin. In this world, any twins were seen as bad luck, and it was custom to kill the youngest when they reached the age of 5 (it was even worse luck to kill a baby or toddler). The young boy had one person left who he knew he could trust, so Kurogane and Fai took him there, to a kindly woman who had taken on the two as her own when she found they had no family.

By the time they returned to the house, Fai had passed out and Kurogane had to carry him. Sakura and Sayoran were obviously worried, but Fai had woken up for a while and told them that it would be okay, he'd just had a long day. But Kurogane knew better. He sat with Fai for what seemed like days before he finally came to for more than a few minutes.


	3. Chapter 2

"Ugh Kurochan I think I'm going to be sick..." Fai had finally woken up, but he was still no better off. The other day was draining, physically and emotionally, and being in the rain certainly didn't help either. Now every four hours or so Kurogane would have to grab a bucket for him, as he was too weak to even stand up. He even had to force him to... er... 'feed'. And regurgitated blood did NOT smell pretty.

"That's it I'm going to find a doctor!"

"Oh Kurorin you DO care about me." Even sick in bed and he could still be irritating.

"It's not that it's just that...uh... the kids are really worried!"

"Mokona too Mokona too!"

"Shaddup whitey. You disappear every time he's gotta upchuck!"

"That's one of Mokona's 108 secret skills!"

*facepalm*

"But either way, I'm going to get a doctor."

Fai smiled to himself, and then Mokona said, "Don't worry, Fai, he feels the same as you do! He just doesn't want to admit it." That made the smile grow even more.

2 hours later, Kurogane burst through the door, doctor in tow, just as Fai was calling Mokona for a bucket. Luckily he hadn't had anything to eat (or drink, whichever you care to call it) recently, so there wasn't any blood.

A few hours later, and the doctor was gone. He'd diagnosed it as a stomach flu, saying the ususal- make sure he has plenty to drink and lots of rest- blah blah blah. But in a week when Fai wasn't better yet, Kurogane knew he had to figure something else out.

"Hey whitey! Can you contact Yuuko for me?"

"Yaay! Yuuko! Mokona wants to talk to Yuuko too!"

"Well long time no see. I hope nothing's gone wrong." But she had that knowing look in her eyes.

"You know damn well that something's gone wrong."

"Fai-Chan is sick! Can Yuko help us?" Mokona piped in.

"Well since it's Mokona asking, I suppose I'll collect the price from this Mokona... so now what exactly is it that you need?"

" How can we make Fai better? Mokona is very worried! We've tried all sorts of medicine and herbs, but nothing's been working!"

"I'll tell you this much- the medicine you need is made from a simple ginger root. However, to be truly effective requires magic, which means Fluorite-san will need to assist. Mokona knows the recipe for it, so I'll leave you with that."

Mokona looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh yeah Mokona remembers now, silly me! All we need is some ginger, some yarrow, and umm... what was that last one... oh yeah! Cinnamon! Otherwise it doesn't taste very good. Oh, and we also a liquid to make it in, in this case we should probably use watered-down blood." Mokona shivered when he said that. "Mokona doesn't like blood though, so I'll write it down and then leave you to it!"

Two days later and the medicine was finished, and on the third day it had begun to work.

"Oh DADDY! Mommy needs to talk to you!" Oh boy, here we go again. Bucket in hand, Kuro did a sort of shuffley run to Fai's room (he did NOT want to have to clean up again) and when he got there he was surprised by what he saw. Fai was sitting up looking at himself in the mirror. His nails were painted sparkly pink, he had on makeup, and he was wearing one of Sakura's dresses.

"What the HELL are you WEARING?!"

"A dress, silly! Don't I look pretty? Don't I? DON'T I?!"

Kurogane felt himself blush. Why the hell did he blush? He didn't feel that way. He couldn't. He was loyal to Princess Tomoyo alone. Nobody else. Right?

But anyway, the mage was acting strange. More so than usual. It then occurred to Kuro- now that he was able to keep down the blood, he had more energy, and Mokona HAD mentioned that the fever would be the last thing to get better.

Finally, after two and a half weeks since he got sick, Fai got back to his old self. The fake smile, annoyances, etc. It was good to have you back, Fai.


	4. Chapter 3

"Mokona Modoki is ready to go!"

They had finally found the feather after 3 weeks of searching. It had taken an epic battle with a shadow beast deep in the bowels of a secret underground tunnel system, but they had found it.

In this new world, it was winter, but the people didn't seem to mind the cold, because of something they called Christmas. Apparently, there was a legend about a fat old guy in a furry red suit that broke into your house-through the chimney-and left presents under a tree and in some oversized socks. Weird people.

It was Christmas Eve in this country called Bibfier, and the group was staying with this world's Touya and Yukito, who had foreseen their arrival. They had been here a week, and in that week they had decorated, shoveled snow, and shopped for gifts for their kind hosts and each other. Now they were asleep, Fai and Kurogane sharing a room, Sayoran sharing with Sakura and Mokona. Kurogane was nearly asleep when he heard a cry from the other side of the king-sized bed.

"No! Onii-Chan… Onii-Chan, no! What did I…" Tears were streaming down the mage's face. Kurogane stood staring in shock. _What the hell is he talking about? He doesn't have a brother, does he? Or maybe..._

"Hey, mage!" Kurogane shook him. "Hey mage, wake up!"

"NO!" Fai shot up, breathing heavy, and looked around with terror-filled eyes. It took a few minutes before he remembered where he was.

"Oh, my. It seems I was dreaming," he said as he plastered on his fake smile.

"Don't do that. I know you're not happy right now so don't even try to pull that. What the hell were you dreaming about? You said something about your brother."

Fai stared wide-eyed as he realized what he had been saying in his sleep.

_No, I can't tell him. I swore… I swore to Ashura-ou…_

"What was it?"

"It was nothing, really. I don't even have a brother, Kuro-myuu. I'll be fine it was just a little nightmare is all."

"Little my ass. But whatever, you're not going to talk anyway so why should I waste my breath." Kurogane muttered as he rolled over and went back to sleep.

THE NEXT MORNING

"SO! How about some brownies?" Fai pulled a fresh tray of Espresso brownies from the oven. An evil glare was shot from across the room.

"You know I can't stand sweets."

"PLEASE!? For mommy?"

Fai had woken up extra early that morning (probably to avoid Kurogane) and had made some espresso brownies. Espresso was Kurogane's favourite, so he hoped that it would make up a little for his silence the night before.

"But I made them especially for you, for Christmas! I even left out half of the sugar since Kuropon doesn't like sweets." *insert pouty face here*

There was something about this holiday that made the mage even crazier than usual, Kurogane though as he glared. But of course, espresso WAS his favourite… so he grabbed a brownie and ate it. Then another, and another. And then the whole pan was gone.

O.O

"Kurorin! There's none left for Sakura or Syaoran! Now I have to make another batch! Oh well, I guess it can't be helped…" Just as Fai was about to walk out to head back into the kitchen, Kurogane grabbed his am.

"Don't think this is going to get you out of it."

"Hmm? Out of what, Kuropii?"

"Out of talking. I don't believe a word of what you told me last night, and I want to know the truth."

"I really don't know what your talking about Kurotan. I already told you I don't have a brother." But Kuro had heard the quiver in his voice.

"You're so full of shit! Stop trying to sell me these lies! I don't know what he could've done to you that's so bad you can't tell anyone. You're a coward, running away like that. You'll never be able to face it if you don't have anyone here to help you through it." Fai had pain in his eyes. He almost looked like he was scared. But somehow his fake smile seemed a little more real than usual.

"But I know that you'd be here for me even if I don't tell you. By the way, what do you mean by 'he'?"

"It just seems that every time something bad comes up, that Ashura guy has something to do with it."

"Good morning!" Sakura came fluttering out into the kitchen donning snow boots and dragging Syaoran behind her. "Is it okay if Syaoran and I go out to play in the snow?"

"What a SPLENDID idea! I think I might have to join you. I haven't been in the snow in a long time!" Kuro was exasperated.

"WHY do I even bother trying to TALK to you?"

"Ehh? I'm sorry, did I interrupt you two?" _No! If I interrupted them… what if they were just about to tell each other…_

"No, no. It's okay Sakura. You didn't interrupt anything." Said Fai, fake smile plastered on once more. "Maybe next time, Kuropon. Maybe next time."

YAY! sorry i just HAD to make Kuro like SOMETHING lol XD  
next chapter soon!


	5. Chapter 4

The kids were absolutely mystified by the snow. It was to be expected from them, of course, seeing as they came from the desert. What WASN'T to be expected was Fai's fascination. He ran outside like a little kid, catching snowflakes and dancing around before he finally plopped down in a drift and made a snow angel. He stood up covered in snow.

"Come on, Kuropii, make a snow angel with me!"

The thin mage was surprisingly strong, and he pushed Kuro into the snow before flopping down himself. Kuro gave an annoyed sigh before standing back up and brushing the snow off of himself. Fai was still lying flapping his arms and legs.

"Kuuuuurooooooo! Help me up so I don't ruin it!"

Kuro sighed and pulled Fai up out of the snow. As he was doing so, a snowball hit him in the back of the head.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He turned around and saw Mokona (who blended in quite nicely with the frozen ground) with a smirk on her face and another snowball in her hand. She threw it straight at Kuro, who easily dodged it, and then ducked behind a little mountain of snow she had made.

"Ha ha! Kuro-pu can't get me!"

Just as Kuro was about to fling a chunk of ice back at her, he got hit in the back of the head again. He turned around to see Fai standing with his hands behind his back, looking at the sky and attempting to whistle.

"Why you little-" another snowball. "THAT'S IT!" Kuro jumped behind a large shrubbery that grew against the house. He grabbed a big wad of snow from atop the plant and whipped it into Fai's face. Or so he thought. The nimble man simply stepped to the side, grabbed the snowball, and flung it back. The whole time, Sakura and Syaoran were watching from a safe distance, Sakura giggling uncontrollably.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?" Kurogane was really pissed. He wasn't a big fan of the cold, you see, and he had come outside without putting on an actual coat.

"You two get along so well, that's all." Sakura couldn't stop laughing. "Hey Syaoran, wanna know what Moko-chan told me now?" Syaoran looked torn between his curiosity and his wish to stay out of it. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately), though, Fai came bounding over to hide behind them.

"Don't move! He won't hit you two!" Kuro and Fai circled around Sakura and Syaoran (in epic movie fight style) and then froze, staring at each other, Kurogane with a Super Ninja Death Glare and Fai with a smile.

This continued in a cycle of stares and circles for 5 minutes before Mokona burst in and smashed them both in the face.

"I win! I win! Hee hee I got BOTH of you and- MEKKYO!"

A truck passed by the front of the house carrying a large tree and almost hundred small boxes that appeared to be filled with ornaments of all shapes and sizes. Among them was one tiny feather mounted in the middle of a gold star. The truck drove to the corner, then stopped and parked next to the central square.

"The feather! It's in that star! Mokona can feel it!" All 5 of them ran down and watched as a large group of men unloaded the tree, set it up in the middle of the square, and placed lights and ornaments all about the branches. The star was raised to the top by a pulley system that had been set up on the scaffolding used to place the higher ornaments.

"How are we going to get my feather now?" Sakura had a very worried look on her face, as did Syaoran.

"Well…" Fai was hesitant to suggest his idea. "I don't have MUCH power left, but I might still be able to get it down…"

"But Fai! If you use any more of your power you could get hurt! I don't want you to risk yourself like that to get my feather."

AHAHAHAHA cliff hanger :)


	6. Chapter 5

"Hnn… Well, let's go home. It's almost lunch time anyway." Fai seemed to have something on his mind. Kurogane narrowed his eyes as if doing so would let him read Fai's thoughts. He gave up quickly, however, because he felt his face get red. _What the hell? Why is my face getting red?_

"Uhh… Kuro-sama? You coming?" Sakura was looking at him with a strange look on her face, almost exactly like the look that Tomoyo usually had. _Oh god, not another one. _Kuro hated when people knew how he felt. He could never hide well enough to avoid Tomoyo knowing.

"Yeah yeah let's just go. It's cold out here." The snow that had been on his back was now slowly melting, leaving his shirt sopping and slowly re-freezing. He gave a cold shiver, and Fai spotted it. He took off his fuzzy coat and draped it over Kuro's shoulders.

"If you get sick, we will have to rely on Syaoran alone to bring home money." F had turned an interesting shade of pink. Sakura and Mokona were practically rolling on the ground, trying to hold in their giggles.

"Syaoran! Syaoran, c'mere! I gotta tell you something!" Sakura bounced towards Syaoran and whispered something into his ear.

'Wha- princess are you sure?!" Syao had a look of absolute shock on his face. 'I really don't think that-"

"It's true! Mokona, Yuuko, AND Tomoyo ALL said so!"

"It's true, it's true! It's love love love!" Mokona was jumping around like a 4 year old with a bag of candy.

Kurogane had a VERY un-amused look on his face. "What the hell is so funny?!" The outburst only made them laugh more though.

"HAHAHA It's nothing haha!"

Fai had ran ahead a good distance, and was glad he did so. He was POSITIVE that Kuro had heard Moko's comment, and his face was an even deeper pink than it was before.

"I'm going to make some pasta for lunch," he called, desperately wanting to change the subject. When that didn't work, he took the more simple approach of walking faster and faster till he was almost running towards the house. He was the first to arrive (obviously), and went straight about cooking. He was trying to distract himself from the thoughts whirling about in his head, more specifically something that Mokona had told him back when he was sick. _"Don't worry, Fai. He feels the same way, he just doesn't want to admit it."_ Could Mokona be right?

"Hnn…" Fai decided he didn't want to find out. What if she had been wrong, after all?

|20 minutes later|

"Itadekimasu!" Finally Fai had been able to think about something else—how to get Sakura's feather. She certainly wouldn't let him use his magic to get it down. He thought and thought and next thing he knew everyone was done eating and the dishes had all been cleared.

"Ehh? Was I staring into space again? Sorry…" But he had a plan now at least.

That night after everyone was asleep, Fai crept out of the room he shared with Kuro, leaving a note on his nightstand. He ran down to where the great tree stood, and carefully created a kekkai. The last thing he needed was for Mokona to sense him. For 90 long minutes he tried again and again to retrieve the feather. As he did so, sappy love and Christmas songs played over the loudspeakers in the square. At last he managed to break the seal that bound the feather to the star. At this point he was exhausted, having almost passed out 4 times already. He carefully lowered the feather, and just as he grabbed it, he collapsed into the snow. As he lay there, trying not to close his eyes, the loudspeakers began playing a new song. Then everything blurred to black.

_Kiss me sweet, I'm sleeping in silence_

Where was this music coming from?

_All alone, in ice and snow_

Fai stood in a black void, nothing to be seen anywhere around him. The only light was that which radiated from the feather.

_In my dream, I'm calling your name_

_You are my love_

"Someone! Anybody! Help me!" He knew this place well. He had been here before, narrowly rescued by Ashura. This is where people's souls go while their bodies die.

"Kuro! Find the note, please Kuro!" The last time he had been here, he was begging and pleading to die. Not anymore.

_In your eyes I search for my memories_

_Lost in vain so far in the scenery_

He closed his eyes and saw the face of the one he loved. He remembered back to all the times he had been saved before.

"Just once more…" He curled up into fetal position on the ground and lay there, wishing, for what seemed like an eternity. It was just so cold.

_Hold me tight, and swear again and again_

_We'll never be apart_

The mage felt strong arms wrap around him, and he saw a tiny speck of light appear in the distance. His eyes filled with tears as he ran towards the light, clutching the feather to his chest.

_If you could touch my feathers softly_

_I'll give you my love_

_We set sail in the darkness of the night_

_Out to the sea_

_To find me there, to find you there_

_Love me now, if you dare_

As he ran closer and closer to the light, he felt a heat radiating from the light. Finally he could see the form of Kuro, holding on to his frozen body, running in the direction of the hospital. He was saying something, but Fai couldn't quite make out what it was. He just kept running towards the glowing figure, running and running, trying to catch up with the empty shell that was currently his body. Finally he reached the form, he saw a desperate, pained face that he had only ever seen once before. It was the face of someone who was about to lose the one they loved. The last time he had seen that look it was on his brother's face as he plummeted from the tower.

_Kiss me sweet, I'm sleeping in sorrow_

_All alone, to see you tomorrow_

Fai clung to Kuro. He could not return to his body, not until it was stable enough to live on it's own. No matter how much it hurt Kuro, if he returned now he would surely die. The only thing keeping him alive at this point was the feather. Funny how these things go, the thing that almost killed him was the thing that saved his life. Suddenly Fai felt very tired. He curled up and fell asleep next to Kuro's shape.

_In my dream I'm calling your name_

_You are my love_

Fai opened his eyes to a blurred image of Kuro, half sitting half lying, next to his hospital bed. He heard the beep of a heart monitor and was surrounded by the smell of medicine and coffee.

"K-Kuro…" he managed to croak before his eyes filled with tears. A nurse poked her head in to check on him, and rushed in toting roll upon roll of bandages.

THAT'S ALL FOR THIS CHAPTER~

:D next chapter coming soon~

wanna know what the note said?

Too bad XD you have to wait ~just like everyone else


	7. Chapter 6

It wasn't until the nurses tried to bandage his frostbitten hands that Fai realized how much pain he was in. It was sheer agony to release the feather, and they ended up having to give him morphine to be able to even touch him. He started fading in and out of consciousness again, and next thing he knew the world was black again.

He felt cold. So unbearably cold. He opened his eyes to find himself in the place he never wanted to see again. The tower that had been his home for so many years. He looked around and recognized everything perfectly. The stench of death, the reddish hue to the walls, even the carvings he had made oh so long ago. He then saw his brother's tiny form standing on top of the mound that had built up over the years with a strange man who seemed oddly familiar.

"Yuui! Save Yuui!" He blinked a few times before he realized what his brother had said. He peeked over the edge of the floor to see Fei Wong Reed laughing over Fai-the real Fai-'s tiny shape.

"As you wish, child. But know one thing. 2 curses will be placed upon him. The first—I will change his memories. He will believe that he caused your death and selfishly chose to save himself. And the second he will know only when the time comes."

"Is there no way for him to break the first curse!?" He sounded so desperate.

"There is. But for some reason I doubt it will ever be done. The only way for the curse to be broken is for him to become close with a special person."

"And why, might I ask, do you doubt that so much?" Young Fai had a very determined look on his face. He must've been absolutely _certain_ that the old man was mistaken.

"I'll answer your question with another question then. What makes you so sure that he'll be able to? Certainly the guilt of killing your twin brother will do some serious emotional damage. He'll be scarred for a very long time. You can't just forget killing the only person that you love." He had an evil look on his face. "The curses will go into effect the second that you are dead. Are you sure you still want to go through with it?"

Fai gave a determined nod. "May I just have one final wish? I want to see my brother before I die."

"Hmm… I suppose that can be arranged. All the more easy for me, actually." He raised his hand and the two of them levitated to the platform on which Fai(Yuui) stood. He must've had immensely strong powers to be able to do so in this tower. Time and space were frozen here, nothing changed.

Fai ran to his brother's side the second his feet touched the stone. "Yuui, Yuui listen to me. Listen and don't forget. You must find that person. No matter what you must find the person who is most important. Forget about me and move on, or you will be forever trapped in the past. I know you love me, but you must forget. Don't let that man control your life." Fai(Yuui) begged and pleaded with his brother not to leave, but his mind was already made up. There was no turning back now. He hugged his twin for the last time and then walked over to the window where Fei Wong awaited. Fai looked over his shoulder one last time before he was shoved out the window.

"FAI!" Yuui grabbed for his hand but was held back by a powerful force. He fell to his knees and wept, and before he knew it the man was gone, and in his place stood a boy of about 17 was standing and smiling.

"Oi mage!" he felt himself being shaken. "Wake up!" That was… Kuro? But that meant…

Fai shot straight up. Although his head was still a bit fuzzy from the morphine, he could remember where he was and see everything quite clearly. He was shaking violently, and as he looked around he saw Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona all watching him. Sakura looked like she was about to cry, as did Mokona, and Syaoran was trying to comfort them. Taking a shaky breath, he smiled (somewhat painfully) at Sakura.

"I'm all right, it was just a nightmare."

"Umm Fai-san we got you this for Christmas!" Sakura stepped forward with a beautifully wrapped present. "It's not much but…"

Fai carefully unwrapped the present and smiled (for real) when he saw what was inside. There were two tiny stuffed animals, a black dog with red eyes and a gold tabby cat with blue eyes, that had magnets in their noses to hold them together.

"Syaoran actually picked it out, and Moko-chan and I agreed."

"Ahh I see. So I take it you read the note I left?"

"Hehe yeah… but don't worry I only read the first part out loud." Syaoran had quite the awkward look on his face, and Kuro was death glaring at him. "Sorry Kurogane-san, it said I wasn't supposed to read the second part…"

Fai giggled at Kuro's frustrated face as he recalled what he had written.

_Dear Kuro-sama (and Syaoran, because I know you have to translate this)_

_I've gone to get the feather. I know Sakura said not to, but there's no way we'll get it otherwise. When you get this note I'll probably be either dead or dying down by the tree. I'm sorry for all the trouble I'm causing you, but it's probably better this way. When you come to fetch me, don't let Sakura or Moko-chan come with. The last thing they need is to see me dead._

_P.S. Syaoran, don't read this part out loud. If I die, tell Kuro-pii I love him._

_-Fai_

"Thank you, Syaoran for not reading that. I'd really like to say it myself when the time comes. Sakura and Moko already know though, right?"

Sakura brightened and giggled a little when she realized what they were talking about.

"Fai you really should say it soon, before the chance is gone."

Fai sighed and nodded. "But I don't think it's quite time yet, princess. Maybe in the next world." He glanced at the clock. "But right now you guys should go home and get some rest. It's 4AM! Oh! And before I forget, here you are princess, I believe this is yours." He handed the feather to Sakura, but Mokona grabbed it before she could take it.

"Wait till we get home! Otherwise Syaoran will have to carry you there." She hopped out of the room, followed by the kids. Fai turned to Kurogane.

"And what about you, Mr. Sunshine? You're not going to go home?"

"Pfft why? I've been here for 2 days already, why leave now?"

"T-two days?! How long was I unconscious?" Fai's hand shot to his head, and he sighed. "By the way, thanks for waking me up."

"It was nothing. You were freaking out the kids, that's all." The usually scary-looking man blushed and looked the other way.

"Hmm okay. But you definitely looked worried to me when I woke up before. Maybe Kuro-rin really DOES love me!" The mage giggled. In his mind he was wishing and hoping for it to be true.

"Pheh whatever. Just shut up so I can sleep." The warrior put his head face down into his arms, half sitting in his chair half lying on the hospital bed.

HMM that's all again ^-^

Tee hee

I know I know it was boring -__-

But oh well. The next one will be better


	8. Chapter 7

Fai woke up in the middle of the night shivering. The hospital only gives you one blanket, and it was COLD in there. He rolled over and over, trying to find a way to keep warm. He'd had enough cold for a while. He had finally curled up buried in the thin sheets, but it didn't really help at all.

His tossing and turning had woken Kurogane up. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He hadn't slept very well in the past 2 days, and he was even crabbier than usual.

"SOMEONE got up on the wrong side of the bed," Fai decided that pissing Kuro off would be a good way to keep his mind off the cold. "It's so cold in here Kuro-tan" *pouty face* "SOOOOO cold." He flopped back into his pillow (which felt like a brick surrounded by rocks) and sulked.

Kurogane sighed. "You won't shut up, will you?"

"Hmmmm nope probably not. UNLESS you can find me something warm. It's like 50 degrees in here." He rubbed his arms for emphasis. "I wish they would give me more than this stupid gown to wear. It's like wearing a paper shirt in the middle of a snowstorm."

Kuro gave him a weird look. "It's really not that cold in here, you know."

A "Yes it is! Maybe not to you, but you A are wearing actual clothes and B have some meat on your bones." Fai waved his arm around. "Look at there toothpicks!" *sigh* "I need to put on a little weight, huh? The nurses keep trying to shove food down my throat because they say I don't eat enough heheh."

"S' not like you can help it. You're sort of on a liquid diet, remember?"

"Hmm I know I know. SPEAKING OF WHICH, I'm hungry Kuro-pii! Gimme your arm!" Fai reached out for Kuro's arm like a baby would reach for a rattle. "Come ooon Kuro-rin! I'm STARVING." He grabbed Kuro's arm and chomped down.

"OW! What the hell!? You couldn't wait 30 seconds!?"

"Mhhohmmohmm" ^-^

Just then a nurse knocked on the door.

"Umm excuse me, Mr. uh Fluorite? We need you to come for one last test to make sure you're clear for relea- oh! I'm so sorry!" She jumped out of the room when she saw Fai noming on Kuro's arm. "Uh I'll just come back in a little while then," she called from the hallway. Fai giggled, still drinking.

"Okay, stop." Kuro tried to pull his arm away, but Fai held on. "Stoooooop" He tugged back again, but Fai was latched on. "Okay seriously stop now. I'm getting all dizzy."

"Hnn… oh fine. But I'm still hungry, so I want more later!" He pushed the call nurse button as he licked the blood from his lips. Kurogane gave an annoyed sigh. "Hey, don't complain. I eat MAYBE once every other day IF that, and you're the one who decided to have that vampire twin change me. If you didn't like the idea of it then you could've just let me die. The same as this last time. You didn't HAVE to bring me here, you could've just gotten the feather and left."

"Don't talk like that. I thought you stopped with the suicide mission already." Something on Fai's arm caught his eye. "Hold it. What the hell are those?" He grabbed Fai's wrist and was pointing at about 10 tiny half-healed prick marks all over his left arm.

"Hmm? Oh that's just where they drew blood." ^-^;

"Don't lie. What the hell is it from?"

"It's nothing!" Just then the nurse came in. _Perfect timing_ though Fai. "Hello!" He tore his hand from Kuro's and hopped up. "So what kind of test is this?"


	9. Chapter 8

"We found some… interesting… results in that last test." Kurogane hadn't said anything since Fai returned from the last test. Now the nurse was back, and she did NOT look happy.

_Shit _thought Fai _I'm SO screwed._ He was trying not to let show that he knew what she was talking about. "Really? Is something the matter?"

"Tch. Like you don't know." Kurogane was pissed. Really pissed. "Let me guess, you found drugs in his blood, right?"

"Ehh yeah… wait if you knew why didn't you do something about it?!"

"I just found out earlier. Fai what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH ME, OKAY!? Why the hell does it matter to you anyway? What am I to you? Nothing more that the annoying little ass that's always on your nerves, right? So what the hell does it matter to you? Just leave me the fuck alone. If you can't do that then shut the hell up about it. It's my life. So what If I throw it away?" Every word made hurt. Next thing he knew he was pinned against the hospital bed by a hand closing around his neck. _Good. Strangle me to death, just get it over with._

"We've gone over this how many times before. I will NOT let you just throw away your life. You know damn well you're not 'nothing'. I don't know what you're problem is this time, but god damn it I'm not gonna watch you give the fuck up."

Fai looked like someone had just slapped him in the face. _Why can't he just stop? He's half the problem anyway._

The nurse had ducked out of the room when the argument hat started, but was peeking through the door, apparently her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"Do you REALLY want to know what the problem is? You might say you do, but once you know you'll wish you didn't ask. I'm pretty damn sure that you'll hate me, actually. More than you already do."

Sakura and Mokona had just arrived outside the room. "Um, excuse me, miss? Is there something wrong?"

The nurse turned to Sakura. "I don't really know actually. You see we found drugs in Mr. Fluorite's blood tests, and when I came to take him to the rehab wing, the big scary-looking guy started yelling at him, and now they're fighting!"

Sakura looked confused. "But… I don't hear them yelling… usually when they fight Kuro-sama is chasing Fai around and screaming at him." The nurse realized she was right and turned back to the door. Sakura and Mokona peeked in as well just in time to see Fai shove Kuro back against the wall and hiss at him like an angry cat. It looked like he was about to stab through his neck (with the claws that Sakura and Moko-Chan knew could pop out at any second). Syaoran came up to the spying trio just as Sakura let out a little squeal of- what was it anyway? Terror? Shock?

"What's wrong prince-" His jaw dropped.

* * *

Hmm well I was feeling rather angry when I thought this one up, sooooo Fai is like PMSing XD I blame the drugs LOL

Woot.

BWAHAHAHA cliffhanger w

Sorry it's so short by the way. but oh well the next part should be up tomorrow ^-^

Kaythxbye~


	10. Chapter 9

"We found some… interesting… results in that last test." Kurogane hadn't said anything since Fai returned from the last test. Now the nurse was back, and she did NOT look happy.

_Shit _thought Fai _I'm SO screwed._ He was trying not to let show that he knew what she was talking about. "Really? Is something the matter?"

"Tch. Like you don't know." Kurogane was pissed. Really pissed. "Let me guess, you found drugs in his blood, right?"

"Ehh yeah… wait if you knew why didn't you do something about it?!"

"I just found out earlier. Fai what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH ME, OKAY!? Why the hell does it matter to you anyway? What am I to you? Nothing more that the annoying little ass that's always on your nerves, right? So what the hell does it matter to you? Just leave me the fuck alone. If you can't do that then shut the hell up about it. It's my life. So what If I throw it away?" Every word made hurt. Next thing he knew he was pinned against the hospital bed by a hand closing around his neck. _Good. Strangle me to death, just get it over with._

"We've gone over this how many times before. I will NOT let you just throw away your life. You know damn well you're not 'nothing'. I don't know what you're problem is this time, but god damn it I'm not gonna watch you give the fuck up."

Fai looked like someone had just slapped him in the face. _Why can't he just stop? He's half the problem anyway._

The nurse had ducked out of the room when the argument hat started, but was peeking through the door, apparently her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"Do you REALLY want to know what the problem is? You might say you do, but once you know you'll wish you didn't ask. I'm pretty damn sure that you'll hate me, actually. More than you already do."

Sakura and Mokona had just arrived outside the room. "Um, excuse me, miss? Is there something wrong?"

The nurse turned to Sakura. "I don't really know actually. You see we found drugs in Mr. Fluorite's blood tests, and when I came to take him to the rehab wing, the big scary-looking guy started yelling at him, and now they're fighting!"

Sakura looked confused. "But… I don't hear them yelling… usually when they fight Kuro-sama is chasing Fai around and screaming at him." The nurse realized she was right and turned back to the door. Sakura and Mokona peeked in as well just in time to see Fai shove Kuro back against the wall and hiss at him like an angry cat. It looked like he was about to stab through his neck (with the claws that Sakura and Moko-Chan knew could pop out at any second). Syaoran came up to the spying trio just as Sakura let out a little squeal of- what was it anyway? Terror? Shock?

"What's wrong prince-" His jaw dropped.

* * *

Hmm well I was feeling rather angry when I thought this one up, sooooo Fai is like PMSing XD I blame the drugs LOL

Woot.

BWAHAHAHA cliffhanger w

Sorry it's so short by the way. but oh well the next part should be up tomorrow ^-^

Kaythxbye~


	11. Chapter 10

That night, Kurogane came back looking like he got in a fight with a cat. He said that there were a lot of tall thistle bushes around here. The smell of the blood was driving Fai insane, so he went to bed. He was curled up at the very edge with his head buried in the covers. An hour passed, and the clock downstairs struck 10:00. He heard Sakura and Syaoran's footsteps as they went to their room, shortly followed by Kuro's. The door opened, and Fai closed his eyes at the burst of light that shone in. Kuro changed then lay down, rolled in the opposite direction, and was almost asleep when he noticed Fai was tossing and turning, always keeping his face covered, and shaking.

"What the hell?"

"Nothing." He didn't even try to smile. It seemed like he was struggling. "You have a pretty bad cut, don't you? I can smell it." He opened his eyes and they flashed golden in the dim light. "Where?"

"Right here" Kuro pointed to a gash, about a half inch deep, 2 inches long, that ran across his collarbone. It was still bleeding.

Fai sat up and took a breath. "I need to go outside" he said as he walked away. He went to a window at the end of the hall and opened it, letting the crisp night air clear his mind.

"He agreed to it, you know." Yuuko stood next to him. "He agreed to be your food source, so you really shouldn't feel bad or guilty or weird. It's a fact of life. Even when the hunter falls in love with it's prey, the hunter must still hunt, or he will die, which would make the prey sad, as well as all the other people around them. You might not like it, but you have to deal with it."

"How did you-" she blinked her eyes once, and they flashed the same golden color as his. "Ooh. Well then is your prey-"

"Watanuki. Yes. I didn't like it at first either. But I've learned to live with it and so should you. While he may not show it, I'm sure that if you starved the one that would be hurt the most would be the scary-looking one." She gave a faint smile and walked away calling, "Watanuuuki~ I want a snack!"

Fai looked at his reflection in the window. The young face that stared back was not him. "Fai!" He put his hands to the glass.

"Shh Yuui don't worry. I've been with you all this time, you know. Just like I said. But now it's time for me to go. There is someone else to protect you, you don't need my help any longer. " The image began to fade slowly. "Remember what Yuuko just told you. Every word was true." Fai pleaded for him not to go. "I have to. I'm going to live with mother again. We'll still be here when you come, so don't worry." This was such a bittersweet moment. He had finally gotten to see his brother again, but now they had to be separated. "Yuui. Listen to me. Go on with your life and forget about what happened, okay? I know you had that dream in the hospital, and that's what really happened. None of what happened was your fault, it was just hitsuzen. There's no way it could've been helped." The image faded completely, and Fai heard the words "I love you Yuui" whispered on the breeze that gently swooshed past his ear.

_Finally_ he thought to himself. His brother was set free at last. Back when Fei Wong Reed had come to the tower, Fai and Yuui made a pact. When Fai died, he would stay with Yuui until the time came that there was someone else who he loved more than anyone else. At the time Yuui thought it wasn't possible for him to love someone more that he loved his brother, but time changes people.

The lonely mage sighed, both happy AND sad. On the down side, all traces of his brother were completely gone now. On the bright side, he had a living, breathing person to protect him. All that was left was to get that person to love him back. He turned from the window and sauntered back to the room. He sat on his side of the (too small) bed, pulled his feet up, and rested his chin on his knees. He thought about what Yuuko had said for a moment, and then decided to let his instincts take over a bit. In the hospital was the last time he ate, and while it might not have been long ago, before then he hadn't eaten in almost a week.

"Kurogane"

Kuro mumbled something into his pillow and then picked up his head, seeing a flash of the gold eyes staring down at him. Fai could pinpoint every scratch. The biggest one was the one just above Kurogane's collar bone. His eyes were locked on the cut as Kuro sat up.

"If you're hungry then just-" Kuro's eye twitched. The mage had bitten the wound open again, pushed Kuro back down, and began to drink, all in one quick(and by quick I mean really fucking quick) movement. It was awkward for Kurogane to say the least, but he didn't move. He remembered the look in Fai's eyes when he pulled away from the kiss in that hospital, the look that didn't hide anything. All of the mage's feelings, all the pain. Just for a split second, but they were there.

He felt a pinch as Fai tore the wound open a little more. In a minute there was another. _Okay time to end this._ "Oi mage stop-" Fai hissed at him. HISSED. His eyes were full of tears and sorrow as he did so. _He's lost control. He can't stop._ The room was spinning.


	12. Chapter 11

_Please! Stop me!_ Fai had been taken over by some sort of ravenous beast. All he could feel were his teeth ripping more and more into Kurogane's skin. _No, no, no! I have to stop!_ He was struggling, and tears threatened at his eyes. At one point Kuro said something (god knows what) and he hissed in reply. _If he doesn't do something soon I'll completely drain him._ Just then he felt something tug at the back of his head. Kuro was holding him back by his hair. He was lifted up just enough for Kurogane's foot to come in contact with his chest, and he felt himself being pushed away. He used the momentary break to regain control over his body. He pulled his knees up and rested his forehead on them, and then began to cry. He looked up at the clock, which read 7:15.

"I'm sorry." Fai made like he was going to get up, but felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He looked back to see Kurogane holding onto it.

"It's okay." It may have been the lack of blood making him loopy, but he let go of Fai's shirt. And grabbed his hand instead.

"Wha-?!" with a quick tug, Kurogane had pulled Fai down so that his head was laying on the larger man's chest.

"About what happened at the hospital…" The was a loud knock at the door, which startled Fai. He jumped and fell onto the floor. Yuuko popped her head in the door.

"Good morning! Kuro-sama, breakfast is ready!"

Fai crawled back up onto the bed and curled up under the covers. "It's not all that fun to watch you guys eat, so I'm going back to bed."

|10 minutes later|

"Fai! Fai we know where the feather is!" Sakura came running into the room just as Fai had gotten comfortable and was almost asleep.

"Hnn…" He rolled over and pulled the covers over his head. "Five more minutes…"

"Fai, come on! We have to get it fast! There's a creature, and and, oh just come on, Yuuko will explain!"

"Uhnn… fine." Not sleeping could give someone a real headache.

He rolled out of bed and threw on a pair of shoes.

"Good morning Syaoran, Moko-chan, Kuro-tan!" He managed to plaster the false smile on in the 30 seconds between the room and the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's wonderful," muttered Kuro while he picked at the bandages that were now covering the gash on his collar bone.

"Hyuu~ Kuro-pon is so sarcastic!" Fai had decided to act as though nothing happened. "So where is this feather anyway?"

"It's in here." Yuuko walked into the kitchen followed by Watanuki, who was carrying a rather large glass fish bowl. Inside the bowl were 2 tiny Koi.

"How did those get in there!? Koi aren't that small!" Mokona was inspecting the bowl from every angle, but couldn't seem to come up with how it was possible.

"Those Koi," began Yuuko, "are trapped inside the bowl. There is a strong force holding them there, and in order to let them escape you must defeat the beast that lies within and remove the feather."

"B-but I don't see anything in there besides the Koi!" Mokona hopped around the bowl looking at it from all around.

"True, but this bowl is actually more like a portal to the place where the Koi really are trapped."

"What sort of beast are we talking about here?"

"It's a dragon. When you find it it'll most likely be in it's safe form, but the second it feels threatened," she snapped her fingers, "it will change form into an enormous monster. I need you three to go into the bowl and kill the beast. These Koi are actually customers here, sort of like yourselves. Sakura, you'll stay here with me so you aren't injured of course. Now then, gentlemen if you would be so kind as to collect your weapons we can get on with this."


	13. Chapter 12

"Ahh.. Umm, Yuuko-san? I don't mean to be a bother, but do you have any weapon I could borrow?" Syaoran and Kurogane were standing next to the bowl, swords in hand, ready to take the plunge. Fai wasn't.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. Watanuki~ be a dear and bring Doumeki in."

"DO I LOOK LIKE A SERVANT TO YOU!? Jeez, even after I'm done with my payment, even after we're married, I STILL have to be your errand boy." Watanuki grumbled out to the front door and returned a moment later with a tall emotionless boy.

"Here. I brought the arrows as you requested." He was kind of creepy looking, with just a blank stare on his face. "Now what exactly did you mean when you said you'd pay me?"

Yuuko burst into laughter and then whispered something to Watanuki, and whatever it was made him turn VERY red. "What!? Why? This marriage is so dysfunctional!" He was a sight to see, waving his arms in the air and yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Oh stop it Watanuki. You and I both know you want to~" He just gave a 'hmph' and looked at the floor, then led Doumeki back to the door, and disappeared for a good 10 minutes, during which there were a few bumps and various other noises. When he returned he looked a bit disheveled, and his face was a lovely shade of tomato.

"See? I told him he wanted to~" Yuuko was beside herself with laughter. "Now, if you could go and get that other thing from the warehouse that would be great. AND if you do I'll have a surprise tomorrow morning." She had a mischievous look.

"HEY! YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO HOLDING SHIT OVER MY HEAD!" Kiki and Karma walked into the room.

"Daddy you woke us up!" Kiki was giggling.

"We saw you over by the door~ heehee mommy did you see him? He was-"

"Okay that's enough out of you three" He stomped down the hall and into the storeroom, returning a moment later with a bow and a quiver. He gave them to Yuuko who filled the quiver with arrows that Doumeki had given her.

"Huwah! Yuuko-san are those magic arrows!?" Fai picked one up and examined it closely. Every detail was perfect, from the razor-sharp tip to the perfectly cut fletching.

"They are. They're also spiritually empowered. What you will be fighting in there is actually the spirit of a young girl who was in a terrible accident. Normally I would have Watanuki go take care of it, but there is a special circumstance. She died the day before her wedding was scheduled. Her soul cannot be at rest until she can see the person who looks like her love. That would be you." She pointed to Fai. "At first she didn't harm or even affect anyone in any way, but when the feather came to be in her possession, it's power made her lose control. The Koi are trapped there because she wants to use their power to help find you. Koi are extremely powerful spiritually, you see."

"But Yuuko-san! If we hurt that girl then" he was cut off by more explaining.

"Damage done to the dragon form of the girl will not injure her soul. These two need to weaken it, so you can get close enough for her to see you. When she does she will most likely turn back to her humanoid form. To release her soul you must use one of these arrows to break the barrier surrounding the feather. She will know where it is." Yuuko turned towards the bowl. "If you would be so kind, gentlemen, I can now send you into the bowl.

The three crowded around the bowl, and Yuuko touched a hand to each of their foreheads, causing them to shimmer and the disappear completely, only to be seen in miniature form swimming towards the Koi.

The three young men could somehow breathe and talk in the liquid surroundings.

"Nee, Kuro-tan, have you ever fought a dragon before?"

Kuro grunted and nodded in response.

"Hyuu~ Kuro-puppy is so manly!"

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR YOUR STUPID GAMES!"

"Whatever you say, Kuro-wanwan!"

"Who are you calling a dog!?" Fai swam faster, Kuro chasing after him. Syaoran facepalmed and picked up the pace to keep up. Suddenly the trio found themselves breaking the surface of some sort of small pond. "What the-? How did we get here? We were swimming downwards!"

"_The bowl you were swimming to is a portal of sorts. It leads to the pond you are currently floating in."_ Yuuko's voice echoed in their minds.

"Ah a communication spell! Yuuko-san is crafty!" Fai started to climb out of the water.

"Uhh.. Fai? I think you lost something…" Kurogane and Syaoran were wearing identical eye-twitching faces.

"Hmm?" Fai was half out of the water, propped on a bank, and he turned his head around to look at the other two.

"Uhh… you lost…"

Fai scanned the water. "OH!" He ducked back in, and swam over to where his pants were floating. "Haha did Kuro-rin enjoy the show?"

"Whatever, let's just get going, we can't be here forever."

_He didn't deny it_. Fai was giggling to himself.

* * *

Okay so now for explianation on the Yuuko/Wata/Doumeki love triangle~

Watanuki loves Yuuko and Doumeki the same amount. Yuuko and Watanuki DON'T have a sexual relationship. Their 'children' are the same as Maru and Moro, just bodies without souls. Doumeki and Watanuki, on the other hand, well… let's just say their's is more of a physical relationship. ^-^

I made it like that because I think Yuuko x Wata is adorable, AND I think Yuuko x Doumeki is also equally adorable (and fucking hawt). So they have a love triangle~ whee ^_^

Sorry if there was any confusion!

Oh and another thing I was asked about- this is a sort of alternate universe BETWEEN Tokyo and Celes, in which Fai still calls Kuro names and such~


	14. Chapter 13

Fai was the first to climb up onto the grassy bank. Butterflies flew around carelessly from flower to flower, twisting and tumbling in the air. It was such a beautiful place, it was hard to believe that anything bad could dwell here.

"Someone is watching us." Kuro was now standing next to Fai, taking in the surroundings. He held Ginryuu at his side, ready in case of attack.

A young woman who looked to be about the same age as Kurogane peeked out at them from behind a tree. She had short black messy hair and eyes the color of blood. Actually, she looked pretty much like a female version of Kuro. She saw Fai and immediately started to run towards them, but stopped dead when she saw Syaoran climb from the water.

"You! Why are you here? Haven't you done enough?" She looked absolutely terrified of him. "Go away!" Syaoran looked very confused. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! You were the one who pushed me!" Her voice changed to a snarling growl, and she began to grow and transform into a huge red and black dragon. "You killed me!" She swiped a great clawed hand towards them, narrowly missing.

"Please wait! I think you've mistaken me for another!" Syaoran was dodging the constantly swinging razor-sharp claws, trying to get a hit in between. Suddenly she swung her tail around and threw him into the water. The Koi swam to him and carried him to the surface of the water. _You need to get the blond one near to her._ The fish spoke not with words, but with their minds. _The princess won't rest until then. She must see her love. But please, don't hurt her, she means no harm. Check in the cave… the cave contains all you need._

He climbed back out of the water to see both Fai and Kurogane flying through the air. Kuro smashed into a tree and Fai landed in the middle of a thistle bush. "Guys! The Koi said to check the cave!" Fai stood slowly and limped over to Syaoran before falling to his knees.

"My ankle… I think it's broken. You have to go Syaoran, I'll hold her off!" He glanced to where Kurogane lay under the tree. He was waving his arm as if to say 'I'm fine, go ahead' but they could both tell he had at least a few broken ribs, and his arm looked almost crooked. "Go! We'll be fine!" Fai dragged himself towards the ninja as Syaoran disappeared behind the dragon-girl.

Fai removed an arrow from the quiver and lined up his shot carefully. He had to hit her, but he didn't want to hurt her. Even though Yuuko said it would do nothing to her soul, he figured it would still cause her pain. He flinched a little at the quickly receding pain of the tiny thistles that covered his arms and face. The arrow whistled through the air and stuck in the dragon's shoulder, which caused her to screech with anger. "Kuro, Kuro are you okay?" he saw now that the arm was more than crooked. It was broken in at least 3 places, judging by the odd angles.

Thanks to the vampire blood that ran through his veins, Fai's ankle was almost healed enough to walk on without a limp. He stood and tore a straight branch off the tree, then ripped his shirt into bandages and set Kuro's arm. "Don't move." He stood and limp-ran towards the beast, setting up another shot, this one to the belly. Arrow after arrow flew at the girl, but somehow the quiver never emptied. _Return magic._ Fai was thankful for Yuuko's thoughtfulness.

Back at the shop, Yuuko was getting bored watching the fight.

"What do you think, Watanuki? About the blond one and the puppy."

"What do you mean 'what do I think'?

"I think they're together. Or if they aren't already they will be."

"Definitely. Those two are about as straight as you are sane."

"Hah! They're as straight as you are!" Yuuko was laughing very loudly.

Just then, black Mokona popped up. "They're as straight as a wavy line that leads into a circle that's on a roller coaster that crashes into a sphere!"

Yuuko and Watanuki were speechless.

Kurogane shivered (painfully), and Fai gave him a weird look.

"I feel like someone just questioned my sexuality."

Fai burst into laughter.

"Kurogane! Fai! I have what was in the cave!" Syaoran came running back, still dodging swings and slashes, carrying a long rope. "We have to tie it up so Fai can get close without being attacked." Fai shot another arrow and struck the beast in the leg. Blind with fury, she didn't see Syaoran tie the rope around a tree and run across her path. She tripped on the rope, and Fai and Syaoran made quick work of tying the dragon to the ground. Huge tear drops began to fall from her eyes.

"Why have you betrayed me!? Please, Prince Fai! This man killed me!" Fai laid a hand aside of her snout and looked at her with understanding eyes.

"It may seem that way, but this boy has done nothing. The one who killed you died long ago. This is just someone who bears the same face. He's actually a very good friend of mine." The dragon-girl sighed and transformed back to a girl.

"I guess then, my Prince is dead as well?" Her eyes softened and new tears formed.

Fai nodded. "There is a way that you can be with him again though. You must tell me where the feather is. If I can break the barrier around it, you can escape to find your prince." The girl nodded and smiled sadly.

"Could I ask one thing?" She took Fai's hand in hers. She just opened her mouth to speak when Fai interrupted her.

"Of course, princess. Please, be my guest." He bowed to her, and she reached over to touch his face.

"Are you sure? The scary one over there might not be very happy." She giggled pointing at Kuro.

"Oh it's okay. Kuro-tan is NEVER very happy." She smiled and then stood on her toes and kissed Fai. Kuro, who was watching from the tree he was leaning on, couldn't help but wish it was him kissing the mage.

"Thank you." She had tears running down her face. "The seal… is me." She stepped back a few yards.

"But if I shoot you-" _I told you. Those arrows are spiritually empowered. Don't worry about it and shoot her. It's the only way to release her soul._ Yuuko's voice invaded his thoughts again. He sighed sadly and pulled one last arrow out of the quiver. He lined up she shot and released the arrow directly into the girl's heart. A blinding light surrounded them, and the girl vanished, leaving the feather in her place.


	15. Chapter 14

"How are we going to get Kuro back!?" Kurogane had tried to stand a few times, each time he was pushed back down by Fai. "You shouldn't be moving so much! Those broken ribs could puncture a lung!" The mage was genuinely worried.

_We will help you._ The Koi were at the edge of the pond, heads poking out. A shimmering light surrounded the three of them, and they were transported into the water. _There will not be so much stress on his bones down here. Come, hold onto out fins and we will pull you to the other side._ Fai grabbed Kuro's good arm in one hand and the fish's fin with the other; Syaoran grabbed on to the other fish's back. They swooshed off so fast that none of them could see what was happening around them, and then they were sitting on the floor of the shop, sopping wet.

"Watanuki~ Bring a mop in here there's a big mess!" Yuuko laughed as Watanuki grumbled and complained. "Oh, it seems that the puppy is injured. I guess I'll have to let you borrow the car to take him to the hospital~"

"No, it's fine." Kuro didn't like hospitals.

"No, no. You're going." Fai stepped in. "If I had to go, so do you." Fai smiled and giggled. "So, Yuuko, what will be the price for using the car?" Yuuko had a mischievous look in her eyes. Again. _Oh boy here we go._ She leaned over and whispered something into Watanuki's ear, at which he turned bright red.

"NO WAY! NO NO NO NO NO! I WILL NOT LET YOU USE ME FOR YOUR CREEPY HOBBIES!"

"Hmm okay. But then poor Fai over here will have to." Watanuki's eyes took over his head, and then he glared at the ninja and the mage. "You two. Should feel. SO lucky. That you don't have to live with her." He walked away looking like he was dreading the near future. Fai and Kurogane looked at each other for a minute and then shivered.

"I don't wanna know," they both said in unison.

"Ohohoho! Don't worry about that, you will. Hehehehe…" Yuuko had that evil look again. "Well, you'd better get him to the hospital now." She smiled and threw the keys to Fai. "Oh and as for an excuse, just tell them he fell or something."

Fai stood and carefully helped Kurogane up. "Does Syaoran need to go too? I didn't see how badly he was hurt." In his hurry to help Kuro, Fai had completely forgotten their young companion. He appeared in the doorway with Sakura chasing after him yelling "Wait Syaoran! I haven't finished bandaging your wounds!" Syaoran was obviously enjoying having the princess worry over him. "Thank you, princess, but I'm fine, really."

Fai smiled and took Kuro out to the car. "Sit, Kuro-wan!" He took full advantage of the fact that Kuro couldn't chase him. Fai got in the driver's side and turned on the radio. Yuuko had left her iPod plugged in, and it went right to the first song on the playlist. It was the song that had invaded his 'dream' in the last world. He looked down at the tiny screen when he recognized the opening notes. _You Are My Love._ The voice began to sing 'Kiss me sweet' and Fai flipped to the next song. He was satisfied with this one, just something seemingly random. Until the words started. 'Shut up and sleep with me, come on why don't you sleep with me.' Fai flushed, gave an annoyed sigh, and flipped the song again.

"Uh… mage? Are we gonna leave or what?" Fai realized that they'd been sitting in the driveway for 5 minutes. He shook his head to clear it and pulled out of the driveway. Halfway to the hospital and another song came on that didn't suit Fai's taste. 'let's have some fun this beat is sick, I wanna take a ride on your disco stick.' What was with this playlist?! He turned it off and they drove in silence. They arrived and Fai ran around to the other side of the car to help Kuro, but he was pushed away.

"I've got it, I've got it."

"Really? Because you wince every time you take too deep a breath, and your entire arm is purple and deformed. Maybe Kuro-puppy is just too manly to admit he's hurt?" Fai giggled and jumped ahead a little. Kurogane tried to go faster, but gave up when he felt his ribs poking at his lungs.

"Oh my! Sir please come with me!" They were greeted by a nurse with a worried look. Fai glanced at Kuro and noticed that he looked a lot worse now that the bruises were starting to show. He was seated in a wheelchair and taken away for countless x-rays and CAT scans. 3 hours later Fai was led to a room that looked a lot like the one he had been in.

"There's good news and bad news. The good news is that the ribs didn't puncture anything, and we re-positioned them so they will heal correctly." Kurogane winced, remembering the painful procedure. "The bad news is that we need to operate on that arm. It's broken in 5 places, and if we don't fix it you may lose use of it. We have you scheduled in the OR first thing in the morning. The surgery will take about 2-3 hours." The nurse smiled and left the room.


	16. Chapter 15

Fai left the hospital just after they wheeled Kurogane into surgery. He wandered around town for half an hour, and then went back to the house to get Sakura. Even though he knew Yuuko was perfectly capable of keeping an eye on the princess, he felt bad about leaving her there the whole time.

"We're going shopping!" Sakura snapped to attention and then started bouncing around.

"Really?! Shopping?! Yay!"

They walked around the mall for an hour, looking through every shop (except one—it didn't seem very child-friendly) and finally Sakura had picked out a bar of dark chocolate (Mokona's idea) and a dragon pendant holding a ruby red stone, which hung from a thick silver chain. She wasn't sure if Kuro would wear it or not (kurogane=necklace?) but it's the thought that counts after all. Fai couldn't decide on a gift, so he decided to just wait. He'd think of something later. He then took Sakura over to the food court so she could get some lunch.

"Hey, Sakura? Can I ask you something?" he looked at her with a kind gaze.

"Sure, Fai. What is it?"

"Um… how…how do you feel about Syaoran?" She looked down and blushed.

"Well… I-I like him… but I don't really want to say anything to him just yet. I don't want to make things weird or anything." She smiled a big smile. "B-but you should definitely tell Kurogane-san!" She jumped up and slammed her hands down on the table. "I'm CERTAIN that he'll return your feelings." She was wearing such a determined look, and there was a certain gleam in her eyes that said 'I mean business'.

"Ahh I don't know about that… He definitely doesn't act like it. And like you said, I don't want to make things weird." Sakura walked around to the other side of the table and almost smacked Fai on the head.

"Have you gone mad?! Do you not see the way he LOOKS at you!? He is head over heels for you, and you're head over heels for him, but you're both too chicken to say anything to the other!"

"But…. That's how it is with you and Syaoran-kun, too…"

"For God's sake, Fai! You kissed him already! What is so difficult about saying 3 simple words?" The usually quiet princess was now drawing stares from the crowds. "Alright, let's make a deal then. If you tell Kurogane-san, I'll tell Syaoran." Her emerald eyes shone with determination.

"I… is there any other way you'll tell Syaoran?" Folded arms and s defiant shake of her head was the only response he got. "… fine." Sakura almost squealed with joy.

"Hooray! But Fai-san has to go first!"

Two hours after he left the hospital, Fai was back. He sat in Kurogane's room and watched TV, slept, twiddled his thumbs, etc. For another 2 hours before Kuro was wheeled back in. He was awake, but not very responsive. After 10 minutes he was responsive but loopy.

"Hey, mage, did we ever figure out what happened back in that one world? You know, the one with all the booze?"

"Why no, Kuro-tan, I don't believe we did."

"We should find out some time. And it's Kurogane."

"Whatever you say Kuro-wan~"

"Ku. ro. ga. ne."

"Mhmm~ okay then Kuro-tan!" Fai felt tired, sleeping in a chair did that to a guy, so he leaned back in said chair and fell into a light sleep.

Who am I kidding? He was out cold. He wasn't asleep for ten minutes before he started to dream. It seemed like a thousand scenes were playing all at once, each of them a different way for Kuro to respond, each of them ending in rejection. Suddenly one of the images zoomed in, and Fai found himself saying those three words. Kurogane just looked at him for a second and then walked away. Suddenly there was another scene. This time Kurogane ranted and yelled before walking away. One after another, hundreds of scenes played. _Why am I so afraid of this?_ What happens happens, right? It doesn't matter, right? Fai laughed at himself for trying to think like that. Of COURSE it mattered. Kurogane was his most important person. What would he do if the ninja started hating him? Scene after scene were still racing across his vision, until finally they all stopped, falling to the ground, shattering like glass. The shards then rose and fitted themselves together to form a new scene. The same three words came from Fai's mouth, and Kurogane looked startled. He was just about to say something when Fai was woken up by a small voice in his ear.

"Fai-san? Are you okay?" Sakura was kneeling next to him, looking at him with a somewhat worried look. "You looked scared, and hurt… did you have a bad dream?" He looked around and it registered that he wasn't in the hospital anymore.

"Wahh? How did I get back here?" He was sitting (well, more laying than sitting) in his bed back at Yuuko's house. He didn't see any sign of Syaoran, and he knew that Sakura couldn't have carried him.

"Mokona's carried Fai!" Moko-chan hopped up on the bed and bounced around him. "It's another one of Mokona's 108 secret skills! Unlimited capacity transportation! Nee, is Fai feeling okay? He looked very sad! And now he feels lonely! Did he have a bad dream?"

"It's fine, Mokona!" a fake smile crept its way back onto the mage's face. "Just a dream~ That's all." Both Sakura and Mokona looked at him as if to say 'we know you're lying', but thankfully they dropped it soon thereafter.

"Oh! Fai-san! Kurogane is being released from the hospital tomorrow! Then it'll be about a week before we can leave and move on to the next world."

"A week? I thought the doctor said-"

"We know what the doctor said, but the doctor doesn't know Yuuko~ You see, we made a deal where me and Syaoran will work for Yuuko until it's time to leave, and in return she's shortening the recovery time to a week." Fai wasn't exactly happy about this, but he wasn't going to complain, either. He hated staying in one place for a long period of time.

"Well, I think I'm going to go back to the hospital then. Thank you very much Mokona, I feel much better now that I've actually laid down to sleep." He smiled more, and then grabbed his clothes to shower before he returned to the hospital.

"He must really care a lot for you." The nurse in charge of Kurogane until the next day looked a LOT like Tomoyo. Identical, actually. "You're very lucky to have someone care about you like that." She had the same all-seeing gaze and the same 'innocent' smile. Kurogane didn't like it.

"Tch. What the hell are you talking about? He's just the stupid mage."

Tomoyo giggled violently. "Maybe. But I still think there's more to it than that." Kurogane grumbled and looked away from her prying eyes. "I think, just maybe of course, that he looooooves you~" She giggled again and then left the room. _Pft she has no idea what she's talking about._ Even though the ninja told himself this, he still found himself feeling a little odd. Why was it that as of late, the mere mention of that goddamned mage would set his stomach to flipping. He knew the answer, of course, though he would never admit it. Or would he? No, no, no! Why did that keep happening? He'd decide one thing and then suddenly change his mind. Maybe the mage was finally driving him insane.

"Mr. Kurogane~" Tomoyo stepped into the room. "You have a visitor." She winked at him and then giggled away, leaving way for Fai to take his seat back by the bed.

"Hello Kuro-tan! Did you miss me?" He grinned and looked up at the somewhat flustered man.


	17. Chapter 16

"Get the hell out of my face." It seemed that the anesthesia had worn off quite a bit. Kurogane was back to his usual, grumpy self.

"Wahh Kuro-tan is so mean! I even took Sakura out to get a gift for you and look how I'm rewarded~" Fai's moping around wasn't really improving Kuro's mood.

"Why did you do that?" Fai looked at him, confused. "Why'd you have her get me a gift? 'S not like I did anything special."

"Wuu~ Kuro-pon is so modest~ You got injured like that while getting Sakura's feather, didn't you? Besides, you all got me a gift when I was in the hospital." He grinned widely at the ninja, knowing that he had logic-pwned him. "And you had better appreciate what she got too! We walked around the mall for an hour and a half before we found something that Kuro-run would like~"

"Pft I'm amazed. I would have thought for sure that you would have been in here shoving sweets down my throat the second I woke up." It really did surprise him, and Kuro was pretty hard to surprise.

"Hmm well I thought I'd go easy on you. The doctor said that stress would increase your recovery time~" Sakura had asked him to keep it a secret that she had gone to Yuuko. If Kuro found out he would have a shit fit. "So how is big puppy feeling?"

"Well, my head is throbbing, I'm a bit nauseous, and it feels like a bus just ran over my arm." As if by magic, some of the pain was suddenly gone. Wait. Magic? Kuro sort of growled and glared at Fai. "Alright, what did you just do?" Fai gave him a blank look. "I just mentioned how my head and arm hurt and now it's only half as bad as it was."

"Wahh Kuro-rin shouldn't point fingers! If I would have used magic, then first of all I would have collapsed. Healing magic takes a lot of power, you know, and second of all you would have seen me do it~" Kurogane narrowed his eyes, and it sort of made Fai uncomfortable. The ninja could tell when he lied. If he asked the right questions then-

"This has something to do with the witch, doesn't it?" Of course.

"Hmm? No, Kuro-pii I don't know why you always point fingers at Yuuko-san" Strike one.

"Did Sakura have something to do with it?"

"Kuro-pon, you're making things up~" Strike two.

"Did Sakura ask the witch to do this?"

"No, Kuro-wan, neither of them nor I or Syaoran have anything to do with it." Strike three you're out.

"Sakura asked Yuuko to shorten my recovery time, didn't she." It wasn't a question.

"Haa ha… Okay, she did. But don't tell her you know, okay?" The ninja grunted and sat back against his pillow.

"You look like hell warmed over. Didn't you sleep at all?"

"Ah haha yeah, I did. I fell asleep here and Mokona took me back to Yuuko's earlier. I'm fine." He really wasn't fine, as it was plain to see. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a week, what little sleep he HAD gotten, aside from earlier, had been sporadic naps sitting next to the hospital bed. He was tired, he was hungry, and he had a splitting headache. But of course he wouldn't let anyone know. "Wahh look at the time! You should get some sleep so you're well-rested when you come home tomorrow."

"Pft like you can talk. Go home and get some sleep. I don't need a babysitter." In reality, Kurogane quite enjoyed the other's company, but he was a bit concerned at the dark circles that hung below the mage's eyes. It really didn't look like he'd slept well in weeks. The nurse returned suddenly, almost like she was listening outside the door (which wouldn't surprise either of them in the least).

"Mr. Fluorite, could you step into the hall with me for a moment? The doctor is coming in to check up on Mr. Kurogane." She smiled warmly, and Fai followed her into the hall as the doctor entered the room. "Tell me," she whispered to him, "do you like him?"

Fai couldn't help the blush that spread across his face. "Well… yes… but I don't really think he feels that was towards Me." ^-^;

"Nonsense!" Tomoyo's loud outburst made Fai jump. "He definitely does! You should tell him! And also… you really SHOULD get some rest. I haven't seen you leave for more than a few hours this whole time. Mr. Kurogane is very worried~" She smiled at him again and then opened the door a crack. The doctor waved them in.

"Well, I must say I am thoroughly amazed. I've never seen someone healing this quickly before! You're already healed as much as anyone else would have healed in 3 days! You're one lucky man, Mr. Kurogane."

"Uwah! Kuro-tan is lucky~" Fai giggled and sat down once again next to Kurogane. "Hnnyaaaa" he yawned and laid his head down again. "Night night Kuro- chan~" He was asleep before Kuro had a chance to respond.

"Tch. Idiot." He brushed the hair out of Fai's face and smiled, then went to sleep himself.


	18. Chapter 17

Kurogane's homecoming was celebrated with sake, sake, food, and sake. Of course, that was only one 'sake' more than what Yuuko normally had. 2 hours into the drink fest, everyone was out cold besides Yuuko, Watanuki, and Fai. Fai had gone to help a stumbling Sakura make it up the stairs in one piece, and Watanuki had just announced that he was going to bed.

"Yuuko?" Fai crept back into the room and smiled sheepishly.

"You have a wish, right?" She smiled at him, and something in her eyes made him think that she already knew what he was going to ask of her.

"Yes." He sighed and looked around to make sure nobody was still up. "A few worlds back, everyone was drinking. Kuro-tan was, well, drunk of his ass. I… fed… right after that, and as you can imagine, I got drunk too. Neither of us really remembers what happened, but I DO remember kissing, and…. Hands…" Yuuko burst out laughing at the color of his face when he finished.

"Lucky enough for you, I know EXACCTLY what happened." She laughed deviously, and suddenly Fai was a bit scared. And a lot creeped out. And also sort of curious as to how she knew when he didn't. "Here." She handed him a pink heart shaped balloon on a velvet string. When the time comes that you are ready to know what happened, you must both hold the string and pop the balloon. You will fall asleep and dream of it." Inside the balloon were two tiny orbs of light floating around. "I warn you though, you might not like what you dream of. Then again, you might like it very much." Fai almost didn't want to know anymore. Almost. "As for the price…." Oh boy here it comes. "You have to make breakfast for me before you leave."

"Wait, that's it?" Yuuko smiled and nodded.

"This dream isn't of any value to anyone besides you two. Not to mention part of the price has been paid already." Now Fai was very scared.

"Oh… uhh… okay then…" he took the balloon and was out the door.

"Kuro-tan look what I got~" Kurogane didn't like this wakeup call. Fai was standing next to the bed, leaning iver him waving the balloon in his face. "It's a dream balloon!" he left Kuro staring, somewhat confused.

"Remember that time back in that world where you were drinking and drunk off your ass? And then nobody knows what happened and-"

"Okay I get it! What about it?" Hangover + broken arm + Fai = grumpy Kuro.

"well, Yuuko said that if we both hold the string and then pop it, we'll dream about it." Kurogane narrowed his eyes at the mage, and after close examination, decided that he didn't have any ulterior motives. "I think…" Kuro looked up when he heard the smaller man speak. "I think we should at least go to the next world first. We've been here for almost a month already. Dreams can wait." He smiled and went to find Mokona to hold the balloon. If there was one thing Fai hated, it was staying in one place.

One week passed from the day Kurogane left the hospital, and his arm was completely healed. It was still a bit stiff, but it was completely functional and didn't hurt anymore. Fai had made Yuuko hr breakfast that morning, and the kids had packed up their things in Mokona.

"Take care! Hopefully we can keep in touch!" Yuuko Kiki, and Karma were all standing and waving as Mokona's magic circle appeared underneath them. Watanuki stopped bickering at Doumeki just long enough to wave goodbye just before they were sucked into the abyss.

_Thud_. The group landed in the middle of a big empty square in front of an amusement park. As they looked around, they saw two girls walking along. One had long black-ish hair and amethyst-colored eyes. The other had short brown hair and emerald eyes. As they came closer, they were recognized as Sakura and Tomoyo's, who leaned over and whispered something into Sakura's ear. Sakura gasped, turned around to look at them, and then stared in shock.

"Hello! You must be Fai, Sakura, Kurogane, and Syaoran, right?" Tomoyo was smiling at them like random strangers, two of whom looked like two of your very close friends, dropped out of the sky every day. Suddenly the young Sakura stopped dead in her tracks and looked around as though she was searching for something invisible.

"This presence… It's Clow's!" She took off running towards a huge clock tower, and ran smack into a smaller version of Syaoran. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going! I-" The two stopped and stared at each other for a minuet. Then they both jumped back, and Sakura uttered a very audible "HOEEEEEEE!?" Another girl with black hair in two braids came running around the corner asking if Syaoran had found anything yet. The whole ordeal was rather… awkward.

* * *

"You'll be staying with Mr. Tsukishiro while you're here." Tomoyo smiled, leading them away from the house where they'd just left the young Sakura and Syaoran. The other girl that had been with Syaoran- Meilin- was looking at her with a questioning look. "I was very surprised when Miss Yuuko came to me in my dream. She said that I was supposed to have you stay with Yukito, but she didn't really elaborate too much on why you're traveling. Tomoyo rambled on and on until they came to a small one-story house.

"Oh hello Tomoyo! Are these the people you were talking about?" Yukito was in the garden trimming down a bush. He looked a bit surprised to see a teenaged Sakura and Syaoran standing there. After two hours of explanations, Tomoyo and Meilin headed off.


	19. Chapter 18

A/N: its kind of sappy ._. don't judge me, kay?

The next one will be better w I pinky swear!!

So pwease don't egg my houseeee 3

Reviews are love~

* * *

"I was really surprised when Tomoyo asked me to let you stay with me. At first I didn't believe it, that there were people crossing dimensions, but then Yue and Kero said that Clow had something to do with it and-"

Sakura jumped up out of her seat. "You knew father!?"

"Ehh? Father? I'm sorry, Sakura, I didn't know him myself. Yue and Keroberos knew him, and our Sakura met him once in a dream. Also, he was reincarnated into Eriol and Mr. Kinomoto. I guess I know him indirectly." Yukito was rambling, on and on and on, and then all of a sudden he stopped dead and said "Okay" as if he was talking to some invisible person, then a giant pair of wings sprouted from his back and engulfed his whole body. When they retreated, in his place stood a tall creature, not quite human, who was at least a head taller than Yukito, with the coldest eyes any of them had ever seen.

Sakura was the first to approach him. (Him? Her? It?) "U-um… a-are you Yue?" When the creature looked into Sakura's dazzling green eyes, his gaze softened and he took on an almost protective air.

"Indeed I am. You may or may not know that your father was a good friend of mine. Actually, he was more than that, he created me." That explained why he didn't seem human- he wasn't. "Do you remember," he asked Sakura, "When your father used to go on trips?"

"Ah… yes, he said that he had to make negotiations to make with some of the neighbouring countries."

"Yes, well, when he was away on those trips, he was actually in this dimension. There is a prophecy that has been known of since the day of your birth. It has been known since then that you would need to travel between worlds like this. A select few knew about it, but those few, namely Yuuko and Clow, have been preparing for it your entire life." The kids and adults alike stared at Yue with a very confused look on their faces. He sighed and shook his head and added, "You'll understand much better once you regain all of your memories." He waited for a minute to make sure there weren't any more questions and then the wings engulfed his body again, leaving Yukito in his place.

"Ah! We haven't properly introduced ourselves!" Fai hopped up from the sofa he had been sitting on. "As you already know, this is Sakura and Syaoran," He motioned at them, "I am Fai and this is Kuro-"

"Kurogane."

"Huwahh Kuro-daddy shouldn't interrupt Fai-mommy when Fai-mommy is trying to talk~"

"Who are you calling 'daddy'?"

"Oh Kuro-tan why do you try to deny it? You know that you see Syaoran and Sakura ad our children~" The ninja was angry. Very angry. Very angry indeed.

"Ah so let me show you to your rooms." Thankfully Yukito stopped the fight before it began. "Sakura will be in the last room on the right, Syaoran will be across from her, Fai will be the first room on the left, and Kurogane will be across from him. If you need anything I'll be out here on the sofa."

"Wahh! Yukito doesn't have to sleep on the sofa~ Kuro-pon and I can share!" Kurogane just LOVED how he was always volunteered to share with the stupid mage.

"Ahh okay then. But only if it's okay with Kurogane?"

Kuro grunted a "whatever" in response.

"Alright then~ I'm off to bed. I won't be here tomorrow because I have school, but you're welcome to raid the kitchen." He disappeared into his room and shut the door. Sakura and Syaoran followed suit, and then Fai and Kurogane. Fai sat don the bed for a moment.

"Kuro-chan" Kurogane looked over to see Fai staring at him with golden eyes. "Three weeks." It had been _three weeks_ since the last time Fai had eaten, and at this point he would kill to get his hands on a rare steak. Within three seconds, Fai was across the room with Kuro's hand in his, wrist turned upwards, He traced over the vein and followed it up to the nook of his elbow, and then sunk his teeth in as far as was possible without doing any serious damage. The vein here was larger, which meant more blood at once, and it was pure ecstasy to Fai. Imagine not eating for three weeks and then sinking your teeth into a 2 pound steak. Or chocolate cake. Mmmmm chocolate.

For Kuro, the all-too familiar feeling of teeth ripping his arm open wasn't exactly the most wonderful thing in the world. That said, it wasn't exactly unpleasant either. Actually, it was kind of kinky. _Wait, what the hell am I thinking!?_ He couldn't believe he had seriously just thought that. He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Fai's tongue run up his arm, catching the last drops of blood that flowed from the already-healed bite. Fai stood as if he were going to leave, but Kurogane grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Why do you do that?" he nodded at the look on the blonde's face, that look of complete self-disgust.

"Do what?"

"That look. You get it every time you feed. Even around the kids, you get that look for a split second and then paste on another fake smile."

"Because. I don't like having to rely on you. It feels weird to know that if you wanted to you could starve me to death."

"But I would never do that."

"Even if I did something that made me deserve it?"

"I still couldn't do that."

"Why?"

"Because. Sakura and Syaoran would be devastated. Not only that, but…"

"But? But what?"

"But I would be devastated too. We've been traveling like this for a while… and I think I would miss your idiotic nicknames and relentless stupidity."

"Way to give a pep talk."

"Well… there's something else too."

"Well then what is it?" Fai wished so much to hear those words. The words he wanted to hear most.

"You know, you're one of my only friends?" He was dancing around the subject. He knew what he wanted to say. Fai knew what he WANTED him to say. But it was hard to just come right out and say it. "And… throughout this journey… I've…" He ran his hands through his hair. This was gonna be tougher than he thought.

"Ne, Kuro-tan, are you trying to say something?"

"What I mean to say is… ungh why the hell can't I just say it!?"

Fai got a thoughtful look on his face. "Maybe you're not ready to say it yet." He crawled into bed and lay down. "But you know, you're kinda stuck with me forever, so there's plenty of time for you to say whatever it is that you need to say." He rolled over and went to sleep.

"Tch. Idiot." Kurogane lay down beside him and double-checked to make sure he was asleep. He kissed him on the forehead and whispered to him, "What I want to say is that I love you."

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I told you it was sappy ;--;

But oh well XD

REVIEW MEEEEEE

Btw if anyone has seen the CCS movie #2: the sealed card, they will know the general plot line for the next few chapters…

But I am CHANGING IT!!! To be kurofai-centric XD

The end~ for now~ lol


	20. Chapter 19

A/N: short chapter again… oh well what do you expect I'm sitting in class typing this. I just took a test. Fun, right? XD  
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"Hnn…" Fai awoke the next morning with the sun in his face and an arm around his waist. He jumped when Kurogane moved in his sleep, and after much struggling, managed to wriggle out of his grip. _That was insanely awkward _he thought to himself. _Good thing he didn't wake up…_ It bothered him that the ninja had never finished his sentence last night. _What was he trying to say? Maybe… no, no. I can't get my hopes up too much. _

"Good morning Fai!" Sakura bounced cheerily out from her room and into the kitchen, where Fai was beginning to make breakfast. "Hey, I heard you and Kurogane talking last nigh. Did he say anything?" Fai knew exactly what she wanted to know.

"Well… sort of? He never actually SAID it, but I think that maybe he was trying to. He kept on starting to say something and then would change topic all of a sudden."

"Aww who knew Kurogane-san could be so shy. Well I'll tell you one thing right now. If he doesn't say anything soon, he's gonna get an earful."

"Nee, princess, what if that's not it though? I don't want to make any misunderstandings…"

"Fai, there's nothing to misunderstand! It's so blatantly obvious, I don't know how neither of you has noticed the other's feelings by now. Oh, and Fai, I think the pancakes are burning." Fai looked down to see two little burnt crisps where pancakes used to be.

"Shit" he mumbled before realizing that the princess was standing there.

"This is really bothering you, isn't it." Fai never swore. Ever. He also never burned food. Ever. For him to have done both in one morning meant that he was insanely distracted. "Do you want me to talk to him? I won't mention that you're worried, I'll just talk to him like how I talk to you"

"No… you don't have to do that. Whatever happens happens. There's nothing I can do to change it. Like Yuuko says, everything happens for a reason. Hitsuzen and all that blah blah." Fai was in a strange mood today. He was blabbering a lot more than usual, and he seemed almost bipolar. Sakura decided she really needed to get those two together.

"Alright then. But Fai, I mean it. Don't worry. I'm 100% positive that he feels the same as you do. Trust me." Trust wasn't something that Fai could do very well, but still, he trusted Sakura, he trusted her to help hold him up when he was about to fall. He trusted Syaoran to keep her safe and always look out for her. He trusted Kurogane to protect him when he needed it. The one thing he couldn't trust anyone with was his heart. Every time he had done that in the past, they had been mercilessly ripped out of his life. First his parents, then his brother, then Ashura… He waned to be able to trust Sakura with this too, but he just couldn't. He couldn't even trust Kurogane with his heart just yet.

"Nee, Sakura, how many times do you think a heart can break before it's too shattered to be fixed?

"As long as the right person is there to pick up the pieces, your heart will always be able to be fixed. And Fai, please don't talk like that. You make it sound like you're some old forgotten toy, sitting at the bottom of the box waiting for someone to throw you away."

"But what if that's all I really am?"

"Fai D. Fluorite, I swear to god if you don't stop talking like that I will march right in there, wake Kurogane up, and tell him that mphou mphoph phimph." Fai covered Sakura's mouth just as Kurogane walked in the kitchen door.

"What's with all the yelling?"

"Nothing, Kuro-tan~" Fai turned back towards the stove and continued making pancakes that WEREN'T hockey pucks.

"Yeah, okay, like you really expect me to believe that."

"Hmm I guess you're right~ But I'm still not going to ell you." Kuro sighed and shook his head, knowing that he couldn't do anything to get the mage to talk.

"You're a goddamned idiot." The insult had, over time, turned into more of a term of endearment, but this time it was intended to insult. Well, maybe not insult. More like… point out the obvious.

"Wahh Kuro-pon is being mean to mommy!" Mokona had woken up finally, the first time since they arrived here in Tomoeda. "Hey, Sakura, I can sense a feather! I think there might even be more than one, because it's really really strong! But it's also moving." The rest of the day went on like a normal day, and then at 4, Tomoyo and Sakura stopped by the house.

"Hello! We're going to the amusement park tomorrow and were wondering if you'd like to come along!" Sakura stood looking at her older self while Tomoyo spoke.

"Um.. Excuse me but… can I ask you something?" She whispered into older Sakura's ear. "Do you… Do you love Syaoran-kun? She blushed and looked down at her feet, and big Sakura did the same.

"I… I do." Little Sakura's face lit up at this. "You do too, right? You should tell him, before you lose your chance." She spoke more loudly now, so that Fai and Kurogane could hear her.

"Why yes, Tomoyo, we'd love to go to the amusement park!" Fai clapped his hands and hopped up and down. Despite the bad experience with the park in Otou, Fai loved amusement parks. He wasn't the biggest fan of heights, but the thrill of being scared shitless flying down a gigantic hill only to swoop back up at the last minute; it was absolutely enthralling.

"Nee, Kuro-tan will go on rides with me, right?" He smiled and poked Kuro's cheek.

"Tch." Was all he got in response. But it still wasn't a no.

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told you it was short..

review pleeeease!!!

I dunno if im gana keep writin this ifs I don't gt reviews :\

Only like 3 people has been reviewing


	21. Chapter 20

"Wakey wakey, Kuro-tan! Time to get up!" Fai was really excited about going to the amusement park today. "Come on, we can't be late!" Kurogane rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 6:30 in the morning.

"The damn park doesn't even open till noon!" he rolled onto his stomach and pulled the cover over his head, only to be sat upon by a certain blonde idiot. "Get off me!" The ruckus ended up waking up the kids, who came running into the room to se Fai in a chokehold. Mokona bounced over and landed on top of Kuro's head.

"Otou-san! Don't be so rough with Fai-kaa-san~" she giggled and then jumped away to hide behind Sakura. Kurogane ignored the comment and flopped back down on the bed.

"Ugh just let me sleep." He hadn't gotten to sleep until damn near 4am. No matter how much he might hate to admit it, he was nervous. He was planning on telling Fai today. While an amusement park might be cliché, Kuro wasn't exactly the romantic type, so it would have to do.

"Kurogane, Syaoran, Tomoyo asked Fai and me to come over this morning, so we're headed over there." Oh great. Tomoyo was going to dress them up. Kuro dragged himself to the kitchen to have a cup of coffee. Or a whole pot. Double strength.

In two hours, Sakura and Fai came giggling through the door, each with a bag in hand.

"Nee, Kuro-taaaaan Tomoyo made us new clothes!" He grinned widely and giggled more when he thought of the garments that Tomoyo had given to him. She said that it was normal attire for a boy here, but something about her smile made him think otherwise. "Is Kuro-chama excited about going to the amusement park as well?"

"Yeah. Real excite. Whoopee."

"Hmmm okay. If you say so. Sakura-chaaaan what should we make for lunch? Yuki-kun said that he has to work today so he won't be here till later." Fai and Sakura skipped merrily into the kitchen, giggling and gossiping as they went. Syaoran even seemed more energetic than usual, and he couldn't sit still for more than a few minutes at a time before he thought up something else to do.

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"Kuro-sama, Syaoran-kun, Moko-chan, lunch is ready!" Fai popped his heas into the living room to see Mokona snoozing on the sofa, but the other two were nowhere to be found. "Now where could they have gotten to? Sakuraaaaaa help me find daddy and Syaoran!" He looked all over the house, even downstairs in the musty old basement, and they were nowhere to be found. Sakura checked in all of the bedrooms and even the closets, and she had no luck either. "Nee, maybe they went outside? It IS a nice day after all." Fai stepped out the back door and was instantly mesmerized. The garden was full of pink sakura trees and yellow tulips, violets, white daisies, red roses, orange lilies, and countless other flowers. They were arranged in a way so that it looked like a rainbow had landed there and exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces. It wasn't tacky, like one would think, but rather beautiful instead. Fai spotted a speck of black and a flash of brown around the side of the house, and he quietly tiptoed over to listen to what they were talking about.

"But… I really don't want to cause her any trouble by telling her if she doesn't return my feelings. I know that she'd worry about it and I don't like to make people worry about be." Syaoran sounded a little bit upset, like he was fighting a losing battle against himself.

"I'm fairly certain she does." Kurogane's gruff voice spoke next. _Aww how cute. Syaoran went to Kurogane for relationship advice._ Fai giggled to himself thinking about how Kurogane really was like a father to Syaoran and Sakura. He might not think that, but it really was true. He protected them, taught them, and now he was giving relationship advice.

"Yoo hoo! Kuro-sama, Syaoran-kun! Time for lunch! If you don't hurry we'll be late." Fai walked casually around the corner, causing Syaoran to jump and turn pink. Kurogane had seen the mage approach, but Syaoran's back was towards him. "Sakura and me made some rice cakes and grilled cheese sandwiches." It was an odd combination of foods now that Fai thought about it, but Mokona had insisted that she wanted rice cakes. Syaoran practically ran inside, wanting to escape a possible awkward situation, and Kurogane walked back inside with Fai. "That was sweet of Kuro-chan to give Syaoran advice like that." The smaller smiled and started skipping.

"Oi. What time are we supposed to meet up at the amusement park?" Kurogane glanced at the clock. It was already 11:15.

"Tomoyo just said sometime around 12, that way we can get in before the big crowds start to gather. It's a new park, and they only just opened to the public last week." When they got inside, Sakura and Syaoran were already eating, and Mokona had already eaten half the food on the table and was going back for more. Fai took a seat as usual and politely sat while everyone else ate. When Sakura finished, they both hopped up from the table and started whispering and giggling. "We're going to get changed!" Suddenly Fai's voice rang out, and the two of them ran back to their rooms to change. Half an hour later they came back out dressed and ready to go. Kurogane couldn't tear his eyes off of Fai for a second.

"What are you wearing?" Fai was clad in a pair of jean shorts that were more than a little too short and a bright blue tank top that looked like it was better suited to be worn by a teenage girl, not a 20 year old guy. Around his neck was a ribbon with a bell on it, like the kind a cat would wear, and he wore a leather bracelet with a blue phoenix on it. On his feet were blue and black zebra striped hi-top converse.

"Neeeee Kuro-chama doesn't like my outfit?" Fai fake sobbed on Sakura's shoulder, "Daddy is so meeean!"

"I never said I didn't like it…" The words popped out before Kurogane even realized what he said. When the realization DID hit him, his cheeks tinted a rosy pink.

"Really? So Kuro-tan DOES like it?" Fai had a tint to his cheeks as well.

"I… yeah. I think it looks good on you." Kurogane was almost beside himself in disbelief of what he just heard himself say.

"Yaay! Daddy gave mommy a compliment~" Mokona jumped into Sakura's arms and snuggled into her shoulder. "Mokona will miss you!" Mokona was to spend the day at Sakura's house with Keroberos, who was Yue's counterpart, created by Clow Reed himself. They had met Kero once before, in the world where everyone was shrunken to miniature size, and He and Mokona had gotten along quite well.

"Shut up, pork bun!" Kurogane turned to Sakura with a menacing look on his face, aimed towards Mokona. Sakura sweatdropped and held Mokona behind her back protectively.

"Uhm, Kurogane-san, shouldn't we be going now? It's 11:45, and we don't want to keep the others waiting for us." Sakura tried her best to stop the fight and move along with the day. Kurogane sighed irritated, but went to put on his shoes anyway.

"Oh! Kuro-sama, I almost forgot! Tomoyo-chan made something for you too!" He disappeared into the bedroom and came back with a little box. Inside it was a choker collar sort of like the one he had worn in Infinity, but instead of a chain being attached, there were little spikes, and a bracelet like Fai's, but with a red dragon on it instead of a phoenix. "She said that if you don't wear them, you're in for it." Kurogane's eyes widened and he put on the ridiculous accessories. He knew all too well what Tomoyo was capable of, and didn't want to risk anything.

With that, the group was headed down the street towards little Sakura's house. When they got there, Mokona jumped up onto the roof and through the window into Sakura's room, and 30 seconds later the young Sakura came running out the door.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Sakura looked at her older self and gasped. They were wearing the exact same outfit, which consisted of a pink dress that stopped just above the knees, a white half-sleeved shirt ordained with blue ribbons and bows over top of it, and a pair of Mary-Janes. The simple outfit must've been planned out by Tomoyo; there was no doubt about that.

Little Sakura led the way to the amusement park, skipping along happily while jabbering with her older self. When they arrived, she ran ahead to greet Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Meilin. "Well, why don't we split up for now? I'm sure you guys won't want to spend the day with a bunch of kids anyway." Meilin was the first to say anything to the adults. "We can meet up later, let's say around 6 or so, at the food court, okay?" She didn't even wait for an answer before she took the young Sakura's hand and started to skip away towards some rides.

"Hey Sakura, Syaoran, would you two like to split up as well?" Fai gave Sakura a little wink and then she nodded and dragged Syaoran off to frolic. "So what does big dog want to go on first?" Fai asked, alone now with Kurogane.


	22. Chapter 21

"Let's go on that!" Fai pointed at a huge roller coaster looming in the background. It had to be at least 250 feet tall, with a drop that went almost straight to the ground, then it twisted away through countless corkscrews, loops, rolls, and god knows what else.

"Uhhh uhh maybe we should go on something else first." Kurogane wasn't scared. He was just… slightly nervous. He had never been on a rolled coaster before. Although, if Fai liked them then they couldn't be too bad, right? "Never mind. Let's just go."

"Yaaay! Kuro-chama is going on the roller coaster with meeeeee!" Fai jumped around happily and pulled Kurogane towards the line. "Hey, let's sit in the front seat!" Kuro twitched at the thought of looking straight down that drop while they fell hundreds of feet to the earth. The thought unnerved him, and Fai picked up on his nervous vibe. "If Kuro-tan gets scared then he can hold my hand~" It was made to sound like a joke, but Fai really wanted him to. The line went quickly, and before he knew it he was strapped into the seat and listening to the operator going on about keeping your hands inside the vehicle at all times. As the train began the long journey up the hill, Kurogane felt himself getting more and more nervous. It wasn't heights that bothered him. It was falling. He hated falling. He was fine with falling from trees and even rooftops, because they were low enough for him to land relatively unharmed. What he didn't like was falls that could easily kill him. As they reached the top of the hill, the train came to a dead stop and sat there for a minute before plunging to the earth below. When the drop started, Kurogane grabbed Fai's hand (which was conveniently placed palm up right in front of Kuro) unconsciously with one hand and the lap bar with the other. Fai smiled big, the first real smile he'd had in a while, and giggled wildly the whole way down the hill. The ride lasted a mere minute and 10 seconds, but when the two got off, they stumbled a bit, dizzy.

"Wooooah that was wicked! Kuro-sama was scaaaaared~" Kurogane had held onto Fai's hand through the whole ride, which earned quite a few 'awwwwe!'s from the other people in line. Not that Fai was complaining.

"I was not. I'd just never been on one of those things before."

"Whaaat!? You mean to tell me you've never been on a roller coaster before?!"

"Uhhh no. There ian't anything like that in Nihon. There isn't even electricity. Everything in the castle is run bymagic, and the villagers just go by candle light."

"Kuro-chan's home world sounds boooooring~ But I bet Tomoyo keeps you entertained, right?"

"Tch. Entertained. More like she tries to use me as a dress up doll."

"Nee, nee Kuro-tan, let's go on this ride next!" They were now standing in front of a ride that looked sort of like a claw. The ride had just come to a stop, and the people stepping off of it looked sort of dizzy. "It looks like fuuuun~" Kurogane didn't have time to answer because Fai had dragged him in line already. The shoulder harnesses on the seats were not a good sign. They were just like the ones that had been on the coaster, but these seats were arranged in a circle and attached to a big arm. They both took their seats and were strapped in, and when the ride stared, they were twisted and flipped around, and thrown upside-down.

"Let's not go on any more rides." Kuro stumbled off the ride and onto a bench. "Or maybe something less violent."

"Hmmm… less violent? Okay how abouuuuut…. That!" Fai jumped up and pointed to a huge wheel that was slowly rotating. It looked tame enough. "The Ferris wheel!"

"Fine. It doesn't seem like it can do any bodily harm." Fai grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him into the line, skipping as he went. "Do you realize how big of an ass you're making out of yourself?" _And me_ he thought.

"Mhmm~ But I don't care because I'm having fun. If anyone wants to mock me, let them because then they won't be as happy as I am."

"Really. And why are you so damn happy?"

"Because. I get to spend the whole day having fun with you." Fai was in a rather rare mood that day; it was one of the few times on their journey so far when he seemed genuinely happy. Come to think of it, all of those times had been when he was alone with Kurogane. Coincidence? I think not. There ARE no coincidences, remember? Only the inevitable. Which means that what Kurogane was going to do was inevitable. He was silent as he and Fai stepped into the car (once again followed by a trail of 'awwwe'ing people) and stared into space until they made it to the top. Then he looked into Fai's eyes and started to speak.

"Fai… I- There's something I need to tell you." Fai tilted his head to the side and gave Kuro a questioning look.

"What is it Ku-" he cut short, eyes snapping open and staring at nothing. "this presence…" he murmured "but it can't be…"

"Fai? Fai! What's wrong?" Kurogane grabbed him by the shoulders, snapping him out of his trance.

"There's this presence… and it belongs to someone who died a very long time ago. Not only that… It feels… bad. Like whoever it is intends to do harm. It's so powerful too… Almost too powerful…" Fai wobbled a little and then fell over into Kurogane's arms. He sat back up for a minute and vomited onto the floor. "K-Kuro… I-I think it's t-t-taking my p-power." The greenish blue eyes that stared at him began to shimmer, and they looked like tiny oceans, tossing like a storm was on its way. The color then began to drip out of the pupils and gather in the air just above him. Finally all that was left was golden orbs staring out of the mage's head, and the blue power that was floating there shot out through the door.

"Oh my god! Is he okay!?" Kurogane hadn't realized that they had reached the bottom and the ride operator had opened the car.

"Err… yeah I think he just got sick from the roller coaster. I'm just gonna take him home." He picked Fai up and carried him back to Yukito's house. When they got there, the door was open already, but there was no sign of Yukito. Kuro tucked Fai into bed and then went to get a washrag to wipe is mouth, which still had vomit on it. As he shut the cabinet with the towels in it, he caught a glimpse of Yukito's silvery-grey hair. He was about to go let him know that they were back when he heard an odd noise from the living room.

"Touya I- hmmmphm." Then there was a pause. A rather long pause. "I don't really think that now is a good time," he giggled, "what if Sakura and the others come home?" There was another muffled noise and then Touya spoke.

"They're 16. She's not our Sakura. I don't think it will really have any big effect on her." When Kurogane realized what they were talking about, he scurried quietly back to his and Fai's room and silently closed the door.

"What's going on, Kuro-tan?" Fai sat up groggily and blinked at the sunlight streaming in though the window. "Awwwwwe why'd you bring me home? I would've been fine if you would've just gave me a few minutes to sit down."

"You're so full of shit. Whatever presence that was sucked out the rest of your magic. Even though you may not 'need' it, you still need time to recuperate. Now lay down and get some rest."

"Wait, shouldn't we tell Yukito we're back?"

"NO! No, it's fine. He's… busy…"

^____________________________^ sorry it took so long

Im a procrastinator ;u;

Don't kill me please *w*


	23. Chapter 22

"Awwwwe come onnnn is he really so busy that we can't even go say hi?" Fai clung to Kurogane's arm and looked up at him with big puppy eyes.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want any interruptions." Kuro pulled his arm from Fai's death grip.

"Whyyyyyyyyyyyy?"

"He's got… a friend over."

"Friend? Who is it?"

"Touya."

"So? I'm sure he wouldn't mind if- ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh." Realization struck Fai suddenly, who immediately turned a lovely shade of pink. "So… what are we supposed to do? It's kind of boring just sitting around here."

"Why don't you try to get some more rest?"

"Nu nu nu nu nu I don't want to. I don't want to lay around all day. Hey maybe we can climb out the window!"

"No you should rest. Even if you say you're fine, you looked like hell warmed over just five minutes ago."

"I just had to adjust to not having my magic is all." Fai tried to stand and fell over onto the floor. "Haa hah ha… my knee gave out?" A___________A

"Yeah and my name is Martha Stewart. Just lay down and rest, okay?"

"Kuro-pon, why do you care so much? I said I'm fine already, but you keep insisting that I rest."

"Because I know you're lying."

"So? Unless… wait don't tell me, does Kuro-chama actually care about me~?"

"I-" He was cut off by a very flustered looking Yukito knocking on the door.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know that you guys came back early."

"Nee, it's okay. It's your house after all. Haha and it's not like Sakura and Syaoran came back. They didn't come back, did they?" o___o

"N-no they're still at the park. Thanks for understanding!" He bowed a few times and then hurried out to the living room to yell at Touya.

"Hyuu~ that was a tad awkward, nee, Kuro-sama?"

"Yeah. Just a lot."

"Oh! Were you going to say something earlier?"

"Uhm… yeah. What I was trying to say was-"

"Faaaai!" Mokona bounced into the room and landed on Fai's head. "Mokona is back!"

"Hello Moko-chan. Did you have a good time with Keroberos?"

"Yup yup yup I sure did! We are all sorts of sweets and played video games all day!"

"That's great! I'm glad you made friends with this world's Kero-chan. By the way, are Sakura and Syaoran back yet? It's almost 6 o' clock."

"Tomoyo-chan said that they were going to eat out tonight. I think…" she leaned down and whispered into his ear, "I think Sakura finally told Syaoran how she feels about him!"

"Hyuu~ Really? Ohhh I hope so! Those two are so close already."

"Nee, Fai, didn't you and Sakura make a deal? If she told Syaoran how she felt about him then you'd have to tell- mfffm."

"SHHHHHHHHHHH" Fai covered Mokona's mouth with his hand and motioned towards Kurogane, who was staring out the window with a blank expression.

"Ooohohoho! I didn't notice Kuro-rin was here because he's too quiet! She hopped off of Fai and landed on Kurogane's shoulders instead, shouting, "Kuro-rin, Kuro-rin! Give Mokona a hug!" And she mauled him with love.

"Oi! Manjuu! Get off me!" Kuro and Mokona played a game of cat-and-mouse (Mokona winning of course) and then Yukito called them to the kitchen for dinner. It was quite awkward, because Touya had stayed to eat, so the five of them sat there, Mokona blabbering, Fai sitting politely watching the others eat, and Touya and Yukito exchanging glances while Kurogane just sat and ate as quickly as he could without choking. When he was finished he excused himself, motioning for Fai to do the same. When the two got back to their room, Kuro sat down and examined Fai's eyes. He'd noticed something odd at dinner. His now-yellow eyes had been flickering back and forth between normal pupils and the snake-like slits that took their place when he was hungry.

"What is it, Kuro-pon? Is something the matter?"

"You're hungry, right?"

"I- no, I'm fine."

"No. You're hungry. I see your eyes switching back and forth. Without your magic you have to eat more often, don't you? If you're hungry you should just say so instead of trying to hide it."

"I… I know…"

"Well go ahead and eat then." Fai hesitated for a minute and then took the scarred arm that was offered up to him.

"All these scars… They're my fault."

"So? It doesn't matter. It's just a flesh wound. I don't care about it."

"You don't care?"

"No. Why would I care about a few scars? I got them taking care of someone I care about. I got this scar from Tomoyo, but it doesn't bother me because she was trying to help me." He held out his hand to reveal a circular scar in the middle of his palm.

"Ehh? What happened?"

"She impaled my hand with a spike."

"What! Why?"

"Because I was hurting people."

"So she SPIKED your hand?"

"Yup."

"Didn't it hurt?"

"Yup."

"And you don't care at all?"

"No, not really."

"Wow."

"What?"

"She's really got you wrapped around her finger, huh?"

"Ehh I guess you could say that. Not so much anymore though."

"How do you feel about Tomoyo?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. How do you feel about Tomoyo?"

"Well… she's like a little sister to me I guess. When we were younger… I guess I had a little crush on her, but it was just a phase. You know what they say, the first woman a man loves is his mother, and Tomoyo looks a lot like my mom. But I realized that I didn't really feel that way about her when I met someone else."

"Ohohoho! Is Kuro-wan in love?"

"I-…." His face got a rosy hue to it and he looked at his feet. "Yes."

"Ahhh I see. And who is the lucky lady?" Fai had finally figured out a way to see if Kuro actually returned his feelngs. He would ask questions. Innocent little questions, which he could then use the answers to make a person.

"Well...itsnotexactlyalady."

"Ohhh really? Hyuu~ I never would've thought Kuro-pon would be ga-"

"I'm not gay. I'm just… in love with a man."

"Silly Kuro-tan, It's the same thing~"

"Is not."

"Is too. So anyway, what's he like?"

"It's not the same thing. And anyways why are you so interested?"

"Hmm, I don't really know. I just love secrets and it IS the same thing.

"Well maybe it's none of your business. Maybe you'll find out later. Maybe I just don't feel like telling you."

"My my, Kuro-chan is indecisive today, isn't he?"

"I am not." Suddenly Kurogane realized how off-topic their discussion had become. "How did we even get on this topic? Are you hungry or not?" Fai giggled maniacally and bit into Kuro's wrist. He didn't drink much because he didn't want to make the taller dizzy.

"Thank you." Fai once again wore a look of slight self-disgust, not as bad as usual, but still disgust. "I think I'm just gonna go to bed early. I'm pretty tired."

"Tomorrow… I have to tell you something."


	24. Chapter 23

When Kurogane woke up, Fai was already in the kitchen with Sakura making breakfast.

"What do you think it'll be like Sakura?"

"Lots of fun! We had festivals back in Clow, and there's so much to do! Games and performances and a whole lot more!"

Kurogane walked into the kitchen. "Festival? When's there a festival?"

"It's tonight! All throughout the town! Tomoyo said that she would make clothes for us too!" Fai hung on Kuro's shoulder and grinned up at him.

'Greeeaaaat. More clothes. That's EXACTLY what we need." Just then Tomoyo came giggling into the kitchen.

"Hello everyone~"

"Hello there Tomoyo~" Fai went over and hugged her. "So you're going to make them here?"

"Mhmm~ It would be a bit odd for me to have you guys over at my house. My mom doesn't know about magic."

"Ooh that makes sense then. Would you care for some breakfast?"

"No, I'm fine, I ate at home. Well then let's get started~" she first dragged Sakura into another room, then 10 minutes later Syaoran, 10 more minutes and she stole Fai, and then 20 minutes later Kurogane. She spent the entire day in the back of a van parked in front of the house and at 6 she emerged with four outfits on hangers.

"Wow Tomoyo these are great!" Sakura started ogling over them.

--------later--------

"There's so much stuff to do!" Fai looked all around him at hundreds of stands and games set up all over the town. "Sakura what should we do first?"

Sakura looked from Fai to Kurogane a few times, and then pulled Fai a little bit away from the others. "Well Fai, I held up my end of the deal. I told Syaoran yesterday how I feel about him. Now it's your turn." She walked back over and hooked her arm around Syaoran's. "Come on, let's go play some games!" Syaoran, who was blushing madly, just nodded and went with her.

"Our children are growing up so fast, Kuro-daddy!" Fai did a Watanuki-style flail and then clung onto the taller one's arm. "What are we gonna do now that they left?"

"Umm… "

"Oh I know I know! Will Kuro-wan win me a prize from that game there?" He pointed at a fishing game, the kind with the little plastic fish with zip ties attached to them. "I want the big puppy dog!" Hanging from the top of the stand was a giant black and white husky with plush fur. Kurogane sighed and went over to the stand to see how much it cost.

"We've only got enough for one try, so if you don't get the dog don't start whining about it." Kuro fished out one of the plastic fish and handed it to the girl.

"It's a winner! You can pick any prize you want!" Fai hopped up and down as she pulled the dog down off the hook and handed it to him.

"It's so soft and fuzzy~" he hugged the dog and then turned to Kurogane. "What do you wanna do now?"

"Uhm… actually I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute."

"Well sure, Kuro-chama. Actually I wanted to talk to you as well. What's on your mind?"

"Um… well we've been traveling together for a long time now and… well lately I've been thinking about it and…"

"Kuro-chan what are you saying?"

"Well… what I'm trying to say is… Fai… I…."

"Kuro-sama… " It was only on rare occasions that Kurogane called Fai by his name. The ninja took a deep breath.

"Fai, I lo="

"Class 6-2's play will begin shortly. Please head over to the stage to support our young actors and actresses!" Tomoyo's voice sounded over the loudspeaker.

"Oh! We don't want to miss the performance!" Fai hopped up from the bench he'd been sitting on, but Kurogane grabbed his wrist before he could go anywhere.

"Wait."

"But we're gonna miss the beginning of the pla-"

"Just hold on a minute. I need to tell you this."

"Oh. Okay." Fai's cheeks were tinted pink because of Kurogane's hand still holding his own.

"Fai…. I love you."

"You…" Fai stared at him for a minute. "Do you really?" he said, looking hopeful

"I do." Fai smiled for real and his eyes filled with tears as he stumbled towards Kurogane. He wrapped his arms around the other's neck and hugged him.

"I'm so glad. I love you too." He grabbed the giant stuffed dog in one hand and with the other he entwined his fingers with Kurogane's. "Let's go over to the play." Fai could barely keep his joy contained as they walked hand-in-hand to the stage area.

"Fai! Kurogane-san! Over here! We saved you seats!" Sakura was waving from the front row of seats. When she saw the two of them together, she gave Fai a thumbs up and turned to talk to Syaoran. "Look at them look at them! See how happy Fai is? It's so adorable that they finally got together~"

"It is good to see Fai smiling for real for a change."

"Sa~ku~ra~" Fai hugged Sakura when they got to their seats and then poked her nose. "You were right Sakura~ I'm sorry I doubted your feminine instinct."

"Hehe it's okay. It's understandable you were nervous." Just then Tomoyo walked onto the stage and music began playing.

~yuuhi ga akaku sougen ni furu yo~

~hi no you ni~

~yoru no sora ga hoshi wo egakidasu~

~hitotsu zutsu~

~hitomi wo tojite, kokoro no naka wo mitsumete'ru~

~dare wo matsu no?~

~chiheisen no mukou kara~

~kikoete kuru koe wo kiite-iru~

~koko ni kite~

~kirameku kaze ga, toiki no you ni yabarakaku~

~kata wo tsutsumu yo~

~chiheisen no mukou kara~

~aruite kuru hito wo mitsumete'ru~

~koko ni kite~

~hikaru ishi wo hitotsu kette mita~

~koko ni kite~

"Hyuu~ That's such a pretty song~" Fai leaned over onto Kurogane. "Don't you think?"

"I guess."

"And now Tomoeda Elementary class 6-2 will perform a play, written by their very own Naoko Yanagisawa!" The stage darkened, and a single spotlight shone down on the young Sakura, who was wearing a pinkish-white dress with ballet-style shoes and a feathery mask, and she was looking out over a masquerade ball. All around her there were other students dancing. She went into a monologue and a few minutes later ended up dancing with the prince, played by Syaoran. Towards the end of the play the two revealed their identities and were shocked to see that they were the prince and princess of two neighboring rival countries. Suddenly the lights above the stage all blew out and the ground started to shake. Giant black orbs started to appear all around, and when they disappeared, anything that had been there before-buildings, trees, even people- disappeared.


	25. Chapter 24

Let me apaologise ahead of time for this chapter. It's really confusing. REALLY REALLY CONFUSING. And short….

Sorry ;n;

"What the hell is going on?" more and more orbs were appearing, slowly wiping out the people, leaving awkward gaps and holes in the ground and the buildings. "Sakura! Kid!" Kurogane turned around just in time to see the princess and Syaoran vanish. Looking around, he saw nobody but the young Sakura and Syaoran running off the back of the stage.

"Come on." Fai grabbed his arm and started tugging him in the direction of where they had seen the children go. "Sakura! Sakura what's going on?" They quickly caught up, and saw that the only people left were Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Meilin.

"The card… It's trying to return the world to nothing."

"Card? What do you mean?"

"The Clow Card. It's the last one. Clow reed made 52 Clow cards, each with a different power. Well… we thought there 52… but apparently there was another one sealed away somewhere. The card has the same amount of power as all 52 other cards combined."

"The negative magic… So this card has the power to reduce the entire world to nothing?"

"Yes… and the only way to stop it… is to give up the feeling that's most important to me…" Sakura looked at Syaoran sadly.

"Sakura, if it's okay, would you please wear these clothes?" Tomoyo handed a pink outfit to Sakura. "Every time you go to fight a card, you come back okay wearing the clothes I made you, so if you wear these clothes, I'll know that it'll be alright, and you'll come back smiling just like always."

Sakura smiled and hugged the clothes to her chest. "Thank you, Tomoyo."

"And of course I made something for Li-kun as well." Syaoran accepted a green outfit from Tomoyo.

They came back from changing, and Sakura was clutching a few cards to her chest.

"Sakura, I thought you said there were 52 cards?" Fai looked at the tiny stack that was left with a questioning look.

"There are… but the Void card has been stealing them." As if on cue, a large chunk of cards shot out of the stack and flew towards the top of the roller coaster. Yue took off and flew at a small girl with long, flowing silver-grey hair. Another orb appeared and swallowed him up. "Yue!" Sakura ripped a key charm from around her neck and held it in front of her. "Key which hides the power of the stars," she began, and a magic circle appeared under her feet. "Show your true form before me." The key glowed and started spinning in the air. "I, Sakura, command you under our contract. RELEASE!" The key extended into a 3-foot staff, with a star at the end. "Jump!" She threw a card into the air and struck it with the staff. She jumped onto the coaster tracks, and started towards the girl, but a train came over the crest of the hill and started to speed towards her.

"TIME!" Syaoran shouted and suddenly everything froze, taking on a sepia hue. Kurogane and Fai watched in horror as Syaoran's power became to weak, and the train started inching forward again. "Jump down!"

"The card is go-" Syaoran's power failed out completely, and Sakura was knocked off the tracks, plummeting towards the earth. Fai gasped and buried his face in Kurogane's chest, not wanting to see the girl hit the ground. When the expected thud didn't come, he looked over to see Sakura safely climbing off of a large lion-like creature. There was a loud shriek from behind them, and they saw Tomoyo and Meilin disappearing into an orb.

"Kuro-chan… What's going to happen to us?" Fai was staring at the place where the girls had been standing, hanging onto Kurogane for dear life. "We can't die here!"

"No." Sakura looked towards a large clock tower with a determined face. "I won't let everyone disappear." Everything flickered black around Kurogane and Fai, and, upon realizing what was going on, Kurogane shoved Fai away from him and out of the orb that had surrounded them.

"NO!" Fai tried to run back towards him, but it was too late. He was gone. Fai's eyes filled with tears and he fell to the ground, defeated. "But we just got to tell each other… He can't be gone…" Sakura ran over o Fai and hugged him.

"I won't let them die. I won't let everyone disappear." She pulled out one of the last cards left. "FLY!" wings sprouted from her back and she took off towards the tower. Fai looked around uneasily, not liking the fact that he was one of the last people alive in the city.

_Why can't I go too?_ He asked himself as he looked for more orbs. _I'm nothing without them. Sakura, Syaoran, Mokona, and especially Kuro-chama…_ As if his prayer was heard, he saw things flicker in his field of vision. Before the scenery completely faded, he heard a small girl's voice in his head. "Don't worry. It's all right." And then the world faded to black. Fai felt like he was sinking into the darkness, suffocating in the void. He thought that he would soon pass out because of the lack of air, but suddenly he could breathe again, and he felt a familiar power seeping back into his body. A small girl with long, silvery-grey hair appeared and reached down to touch his forehead.

"You have been through many hardships… and I have added to them. Please, take this." She opened up a pair of wings that had previously been folded on her back and pulled out a feather. "And be sure that no matter what happens, you always keep hope in your heart."

"Who… are you?"

"I am Hope. Thanks to the love shared by my new master Sakura and her loved one Syaoran, I was able to change."

"May I ask something?"

"Of course."

"Why did you try to erase everything?

The girl looked down at her feet with a sad look on her face. "I've been sealed away for so long… Clow created me and then sealed me there. I was never allowed to be with the other cards because he feared I would do something wrong."

Fai hugged Hope and took her small hand. "Shall we return? Everyone will be waiting." A wind kicked up all around them, and a bright light flashed. They appeared at the bottom of a clock tower, with the young Sakura and Syaoran above them and the older Sakura and Syaoran standing nearby.

"I love you!" Sakura jumped off of a platform 100 feet in the air towards Syaoran, who was on another platform about 20 feet away and a tad lower. It looked almost like she wasn't quite going to make it, but at the last minute Fai sent up a spell to push her the rest of the way into Syaoran's arms. It was then that Fai noticed something was missing.

"Kuro-chuu?" Fai looked around, and, being unable to find him, started to get a little panicked. "Kuro-chan? Did anybody see Kuro-tan?"

"He was taken." The Hope stepped towards Fai, who looked at her wildly in shock.

"By who?"

"A man with long black hair. He was very regal-looking, but there was something strange in his eyes. I don't think he was quite all there… There was a lapse in the void… and he managed to come in and then take that person out. He must have been extremely powerful."

"No." Fai stared at her wide-eyed. "Ashura… has awoken…"


	26. Chapter 25

This is me rewriting the Celes arc and all that comes after and around it~

Don't kill me cos it sucks XD

"Mokona, call Yuuko." Mokona poked her head out of Syaoran's shirt and hopped down.

"Is something wrong, Fai?"

"Yes. I need to speak to Yuuko right away." Mokona had a worried look on her face as she hopped down and called the dimensional witch.

"Hello Fai. I've been expecting your call."

"I need to be sure that our next world is Celes. I don't care what the price is, I need to go there."

"The price…" Yuuko began, "Has already been paid." Sakura, Syaoran, and Fai all looked at her, confused. "A portion of the price was paid b your brother before the time of his death. He was told all about your journey, which is why he chose to save you. Fei Wong may be a bad person, but he is not stupid. For a certain event to occur, which you already know about, you would have to travel to Celes. He lied to your brother to trick him into paying part of your price. Someone else who had requested that his name not be mentioned paid the other part. The next world you go to will be Celes, however, I am not completely positive that it will be in the right time. No matter when you arrive there, you must take care of your king."

"And by take care you mean…"

"Yes. Even if he is but a child, he must be taken out. You will not get a chance to go back there again after this." She watched the stunned magician for a few more seconds. "And with that, I bid you farewell." The transmission cut out then, leaving Fai to stare at the blank wall.

"Mokona Modoki is ready to go! Waaaaaaaaahoooooooo!" The group, now only three, fell through the portal and landed outside of two very large palace doors.

"Fai-san! Fai-san! You're back! Chii missed you!" Chii came running towards them through the big doors, but when she reached a certain spot she was thrown backwards. "Ashura-ou has set up a barrier! Chii can neither leave nor use her magic! She is sorry Fai-san, Chii couldn't contact you when he awoke…"

"It's alright, Chii. Could you go get him and tell him I'm back?"

"There's no need for that." King Ashura stepped out from the shade of one of the doors and into view of the three. "Welcome home, Fai."

"Don't talk to me like that. What have you done with Kurogane?"

"Kurogane?" He scratched his head, feigning confusion. "Oh you must mean the big scary-looking one. Well, he is in the basement right now keeping the prisoners company. He wasn't very happy when he woke up chained to the wall though."

"You son of a bitch. Let him go."

"Oh but it's so entertaining to watch him get angry. It was a little depressing when he passed out though."

Fai closed his eyes and clenched his fists. It was hard to not try punching Ashura in the face. "Fine. But am I at least allowed into my own home?"

"Oh, yes! Please do come in. We've missed you here at the castle. All of the servants were asking about you." Ashura had a crazed expression on his face. He'd already gone all the way off the deep end. He lowered the barrier and allowed Sakura, Syaoran, and Fai to enter. They were immediately greeted with the stench of death.

"What is that smell?"

"Oh, there was a little accident that's all." He grinned and led them to a door, where the smell seemed to be radiating from.

"Syaoran, give Sakura the feather now. I don't know what's going to be behind this door, but I don't want Sakura to see it." He handed the feather to Syaoran, who gave it to Sakura, who passed out just as Ashura opened the door to his throne room. There were bodies everywhere. The entire room was painted crimson with the blood of hundreds.

"What have you done?" Fai stared in horror and shock. In the center of the room was a sort of clear coffin, the kind that Sleeping Beauty laid in. Inside the coffin was the body of Fai, still the same as it was all those years ago when the feather had been placed in it.

"Come now, Fai, or should I say Yuui? Why don't you all go to bed for tonight. We can chat in the morning."

"Fine, but I'd like all three of us to be in one room."

"Very well then. You know where everything is. Good night."

Fai led Syaoran to a room and helped settle Sakura in bed. "I'm going to find Kuro-sama. You stay here with the princess. I'll put up a spell on the door so he can't get in here." He did as he said and put a spell on the door, and then snuck as quietly as he could into the basement. There were so many cells and so many prisoners. He checked one by one in each cell, but he found no trace of Kurogane anywhere. _The door_. When Fai had first gotten here, he discovered a little room in the basement of the castle. There was a staircase connecting it to Fai's own room, and the door was just inside the 27th cell, which was always empty. He ran to the cell, to find that it was locked. _Oh screw it._ His fingernails grew into claws, and he carefully, eeever so carefully, picked the lock open. The door was there, right like he remembered. The thing that he didn't remember was the smell of Kurogane's blood. Everywhere. It was almost overwhelming. His eyes switched to yellow and the dark room suddenly became clear. Kurogane was hanging on the wall held up by his arms, which were in chains. His wrists were bloody, and upon closer inspection Fai realized that they had spikes on the inside. The floor below him was covered in splatters of blood. It must have been at least 2 or 3 days in this world in between Kurogane being kidnapped and their arrival, because that much blood loss in one day would be enough to kill someone. "Kuro-tan!" He ran forward, and Kuro looked up weakly.

"F-Fai… I-"

"Shh don't use your strength." He rushed forward and slashed open the weak iron chains. Kurogane instantly fell into the pool of blood beneath him, flinching in pain and hunger. "How long have you been on that wall?"

"F-Four days."

"Let's get out of here. If you can't walk properly, get on my back. Sakura and Syaoran are back in my room, but I don't know if the spell I put on the door will last."

Kurogane stood carefully, using Fai as a support, and the two started to move slowly back towards the room. "Why d-didn't you t-tell me… you had a brother?"

"Ohohohoho Yuui, you clever boy. You knew just where I'd have him." Ashura stood in their path with the look of someone who wasn't quite there… again. "Well as your reward for finding him, I'll let you two go."

"Why did you take him in the first place if you were just going to let him go?"

"Because~ He needed to be punished. I saved you, Yuui, I gave you life, and all you do is let someone steal your heart?"

"Is that what awoke you?"

"Ohhhoohoho so you haven't forgotten that little spell I placed on you. Well if you must know, yes. I knew it was inevitable."

"You're a sick man. No, not even a man. You're nothing but a rat."

"Yuui is lucky I'm in a good mood today. Otherwise I'd have you punished as well. Just like all of the others. I can't trust anyone anymore, so I've punished them all for being unfaithful to their king. And of course, you know the punishment for treason, don't you Yuui?"

"Execution," Fai spat the word like venom.

"Right. You really ARE clever, Yuui."

"Don't call me that. Yuui died a long time ago. Once something's dead it can't come back."


	27. Chapter 26

Me: Look! Another insanely short chapter!

Kuro: get on with it already. I wanna kick some Ashura ass.

Fai: now, now, kuro-pon, you shouldn't be rude to her she's the author.

Kuro: so the fuck what?

Fai: SOO she can do naughty things to us *pouts*

Me: naughty… ohhh yesssss naughty is goooood *evil laughter*

Kuro: great, now look what you've done.

Me: oh kuro-chama, you know you were thinking it.

Kuro: … what does that have to do with anything?

Syaoran: uhh… guys? We're still here you know…

Me: shut up Syaoran, you're asleep. Don't interrupt your author when she's thinking up naughty things to do to your companions when you're not around.

"Oh Yuui, have you finally figured it out? I suppose that means there's no need for you brother's body anymore, is there? Maybe you should return that feather to who it rightfully belongs to. You DID steal it after all."

"Stop lying. You know as well as I do that it wasn't stolen. This is all part of Fei Wong's little scheme. We're all just pawns in his game."

"Do you really believe that I would let myself become a pawn? People don't use me. I use people."

"Hah. You're still as arrogant as ever. I let you use me once, but who else have you ever had? You told me to my face that I was the only one who ever cared about you. I see now how big of a mistake that was."

Ashura narrowed his eyes for a moment and then started laughing hysterically. He fell on the ground in his fit of laughter, and Fai and Kurogane used this opportunity to go around him and rush to the room. They got there and Fai saw that his barrier had been broken. He threw the door open and saw Syaoran on the ground in front of the still sleeping Sakura. He had a large cut across his chest, but it wasn't deep enough to do any real damage.

"Syaoran… You too got hurt because of me…" His blonde hair fell into his face and he looked down sadly. "Chii. Bring some food and medical supplies." Chii rushed into the rook a few minutes later with a cart of food and bandages.

"This is all that was left. Chii did her best to find more, but Ashura-ou has killed many of the townspeople and there is nobody left to make more goods."

"It's all right Chii. Thank you." Fai took one of the blankets off the bed and tore a piece off to clean up the blood that had gathered on the floor around Syaoran. He bandaged the boy's wound and then moved to sit next to Kurogane. "What exactly did he tell you?"

"Not much in the way of detail. He told me that you were a 'twin of misfortune' and some other things."

"I'm sorry… I didn't tell you… I just wanted to forget it all." Fai bowed his head, but Kurogane gently pushed it back up.

"I've told you already. The past doesn't matter. I was just curious why you didn't tell me. If you don't want to talk about it it's fine."

Fai smiled sadly and leaned onto Kurogane's chest. "Unfortunately that past is catching up with me and… I don't really know if I'm going to leave here."

"What!"

"Ashura needs to be eliminated. He's completely lost his mind. It's my job to do that but… I don't know if I'm strong enough to. Even though he did use me… he still gave me life when I had none… I don't know if I have the strength to kill him."

"And If you don't kill him then…"

"He'll kill me."

"I see…"

"If I don't make it out of here… I want you to-"

"You're going to make it out. I won't let you die. I don't care what I have to do to make sure. I will not let you die."

"K-Kuro…" Fai looked up into ruby red eyes, and both of them leaned forward at the same time, their lips meeting for just a moment. "I'll do my best to be strong," Fai said, blushing.

"You should sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

"Wait… your wrists…"

"It's fine. I can take care of them. Just rest."

Fai ignored the request and instead set about cleaning and bandaging the cuts from the chains, and then he took the liberty of feeding Kurogane by hand as well. Kurogane didn't protest, most likely because he was too weak to. Four days with no food or water took a lot out of him, and he was lucky to even be alive, let alone conscious.

"Come on now, let's go to sleep." Fai went over to an armoire in the corner of the room and pulled out 2 blankets and 3 pillows. One pillow he placed under Syaoran's head, and then covered up the boy. He took the other 2 pillows and gave one to Kurogane, then laid down next to him and covered Kuro and himself. "Chii, guard the door. If Ashura comes within 20 feet of it, wake me immediately." Fai curled up against Kurogane, who wrapped his arms around the mage's small frame.


	28. Chapter 27

Me: MORE SHORTNESS!

Fai: *whispering* you should probably hurry up a little bit, Kuro-chan's getting angry~"

Kuro: *super evil ninja death glare of doom*

"Fai-san, Fai-san! Ashura-ou is looking for you! Chii told him that you were out in the ice gardens, but he's on his way here now!"

Chii yelling in his ear awaked Fai the next morning.

"Quickly, Fai-san! You have to get up! He'll be here any minute! Kurogane-san, Fai-san, wake up!" The two blinked awake and looked around confusedly.

"He's… on his way here NOW?" Fai sat straight up and started to panic a bit.

"Yes! You must hurry! The time has come!"

"You mean… I have to kill him now?"

Chii nodded violently. "Yes, Fai-san! I have brought that thing you gave me before you left as well."

"Th-thank you, Chii… Just set it on the desk… Oh, and Chii, I need you to stay here and keep an eye on these two," He motioned towards Syaoran and Sakura.

"Yes, Fai-san!" Fai stood and walked over to the desk and picked up the item that Chii had brought in. It was a dagger, the blade's metal was black, and along the hilt were hundreds of tiny gemstones. It looked far too fancy to be used for killing.

"You have to use that?"

"Yes. It was given to me when I first came here, and its sole purpose is to kill its creator. The blade is black with the curse set upon it. Ashura-ou knew that this would happen. That's the only reason why he took me away from that terrible place. It was Hitsuzen."

"That place? What place?"

"I was born in the country of Valeria here in Celes. I was born as the child of the second prince in line for the throne, as was my brother. The only problem was that we two were 'twins of misfortune'. We were destined to bring ill fortune and bad luck. The only way to end the bad luck was for one of us to kill the other, and we both refused to do so. We were locked away in a tower at the bottom of the deepest valley in the land. Our mother committed suicide, feeling sorry that she gave birth to us. In the tower time did not flow, and our magic did not work. I was locked in the top and he was locked in the bottom. We were unable to reach each other, unable to have even the slightest bit of comfort, It could've been months, maybe even years that we sat in the tower, until a man named Fei Wong Reed came to us. We had to choose one of us to die, and he would ensure the other's escape. My brother Fai chose to save me, and he was brought to the top of the tower. We saw each other one last time, were able to touch at last one last time. He said to me, _"Yuui, Yuui listen to me. Listen and don't forget. You must find that person. No matter what you must find the person who is most important. Forget about me and move on, or you will be forever trapped in the past. I know you love me, but you must forget. Don't let that man control your life,_ " and then Fei Wong shoved him out the window. Ashura came a few days later and took me away from the tower to live here. He trained my magic and took care of me, but he slowly started to change. His eyes became more sinister, and he seemed a bit off. Then he told me his plan. I was to kill my savior. So I sealed him away and went on to see Yuuko. I never wanted to come back here again, never wanted to have to kill him. I knew it was in vain, this whole time I knew I' have to return eventually. And now that time has come."

"Where is he, Chii?"

"Chii saw him in the throne room! His hands were all covered in blood and the people that had been in the prison were all dead, laying all over the floor!"

"Then I have to go now." Kurogane stood and went over and took Fai's hand.

"We. I told you already, I won't let anything happen to you."

"But… If you get hurt because of me…"

"Then I will have gotten hurt protecting someone that I love. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind at all." Fai's heart wrenched and his hair fell over his eyes.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt for me ever again."

"Well that's too damn bad because I'm going no matter what you say."

"Fine. Then let's go. Together. Chii, I'm counting on you to keep the kids safe. Don't let me down." Fai opened the door and instantly the smell of blood washed over the place. Even Kurogane could smell it. "It's too late to save anyone… They're all gone…"

"But what needs to be done still need to be done."

Fai stood at the door to the throne room and stared at it for a minuet. "This is it…" He glanced nervously at Kurogane and sighed. "I don't want you to fight unless I fail."

"I'm not going to agree with that."

"Well I'm not going in there until you do." Kurogane sighed and nodded, and then Fai pushed the door open to reveal Ashura sitting on his once sparkling silver throne that was now, along with his clothes, drenched in the blood of hundreds of people whose bodies were scattered at random all over the room.

"YUUI! HELLO THERE YUUI!" Ashura was screaming and laughing madly. "Have you come to apologize for you terribly rude behavior earlier?"

"No. The time has come, Ashura-ou. Your end must come now, before you spread your madness and killing to the rest of Celes. This place and Valeria have already been destroyed, I don't see a need to allow the rest of the people to face the same fate."

"Ohh Yuui, my boy, you are mistaken. The rest of Celes… Is already dead. I sent out guards two years ago, ordered them to kill anything and anyone alive. They are all gone. Oh, but I did leave one person alive for you. Your precious brother… He seemed to dear to you to kill."

"My brother died long ago, along with the 'Yuui' that anyone might have known. You can't hold any of that above my head anymore."

"Really? Well that's too bad. I know one thing I CAN hold over your head." He waved his hand in the air and a spell was sent flying towards Kurogane. Fai stepped in front of it and was sent flying against the wall. He got up and his arm was twisted backwards. He bit his lip and snapped it back into place and waited a few seconds until it began to heal before going back towards Ashura.

"Kuro. This won't heal fast enough unless I eat." Kurogane nodded and Fai quickly drank, not taking his eyes off of Ashura for even a second. He flinched a bit as he tasted something off in Kurogane's blood but ignored it for the time being.

"My Yuui! Have you been changed? How wonderful! You'll live a long life. Of course, you already would have... so that can mean only one thing. You've lost some of your power haven't you? Actually, you've probably lost quite a bit of it."

"An if I have? Does it really matter? With this knife you gave me, it won't make a difference. You should know that. It was borne to kill its creator, and it won't rest until it's buried in your heart."

"Ahh the possessed blade. So you DID listen to what I taught you. But no matter. Sometimes things change."

"This is one thing that won't change, Ashura. You've gone insane. You're a disgusting man and you don't deserve to live any longer."


	29. Chapter 28

>Me: Haaay yallz~~ this kind of sucks. Because I suck major dick at writing fights. So yeah. WOO!

Kuro: *mutters rude words under his breath*

Me: WHAT WAS THAT?

Kuro: nothing, nothing.

Me: *starts plotting* Your ass is MINE, Kuro.

Fai: Well ACTUALLY It's mine.

Me: Of course Fai~

Fai: Oh yeah and by the way~ She made Kuro be all OOC too. Because she's a naughty girl.

Me: Eheehee~ Well CLAMP didn't give us a good basis on how Kuro-pon would act in certain situations so I decided that this is how it will be.

Kuro: WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP ALREADY?

"Now now, Yuui, there's no need to be rude. Bad boys should always be punished, you know." Ashura threw a knife at Fai's head, which he dodged, but Kurogane standing behind him didn't get off so lucky. The knife stabbed straight through his hand, at the exact spot that Tomoyo had impaled it years before.

"Kuro!" Fai ran over and carefully removed the knife. "Kuro are you okay?"

"Look out!" Kurogane pushed Fai away just in time for another knife to come whirring past, barely missing his face. Fai's bangs covered his face and he stood facing Ashura.

"You hurt me, it's one thing. But when you hurt someone special to me…" He jumped across the room in the blink of an eye and slammed Ashura against the wall, from which a few bricks fell. "It's another story. I won't forgive you for this." His nails dug into Ashura's neck, and one of them extended into a claw, poking a hole in his jugular.

"Yuui, don't do this. I rescued you, you owe me your life!" Blood was running down his neck and into his shirt, which was slowly turning red. Fai picked up the cursed dagger and held it above Ashura's heart.

"The time is now. It cannot be put off any longer, Ashura. I'm sorry but it must ne dome." He plunged the blade into Ashura's heart, and the man choked out a sentence before he started coughing up blood.

"The twins of misfortune… have accomplished their destiny… the rest of your troubles…" he sputtered before he could finish his sentence.

"The rest of my troubles? What?"

"Are a new… part… of your fat-" Ashura stopped then and his eyes glazed over and he coughed again, then his breathing stopped.

"New part…?"

"Fai. The feather." Fai walked over to where his brother's body was staring blankly and carefully took the feather from it. It fell limply on the floor, finally falling into the eternal slumber of death. The body had been alive the whole time, Years upon years, a soulless reminder of what once was, but now Fai knew that his brother was elsewhere, enjoying his time in the heavens. There was no need for a physical reminder anymore.

"Let's… let's just get out of here." Fai stared off blankly into space and started stepping over and on the bodies littering the floor. It was quite understandable for him to be in such a stupor, of course, but Kurogane didn't like how he looked, the pained expression on his face. He wanted to fix it, make everything better, but there wasn't much he could do. He hated being useless. Fai tripped and fell flat on his face in the middle of the floor, surrounded by death and blood that was slowly freezing to the floor. Kurogane picked him up and held him closely. Fai curled up against him and started to cry, silent tears soaking into his collar. "I'll take care of your hand when we get back to the room…"

"Don't worry about it for now."

Kurogane carried Fai back to where Syaoran and Sakura were waiting, to find that both of them had awoken and were sitting there huddled together looking very cold.

"Fai! Kurogane! What happened to you...?"

"nothing. It's nothing. Chii, it's time now for you to return to where you belong."

Chii walked over to Sakura, and made like she was going to hug her, but instead was absorbed into her body. Sakura passed out as usual and Syaoran picked her up, winceing slightly. Fai looked around for Mokona, who popped out of Syaoran's shirt.

"Mokona Modoki is ready to go." Mokona om nom nommed the four into the next world, with a notable decrease in gusto. They landed in the middle of a large room full of books, in front of a desk where a chair sat, back to them, facing the window.


End file.
